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U.S. Involvement at Major International Air Shows Principally Depends on Agencies' Missions and Aerospace Companies' Resources

GAO-07-1165R Published: Sep 21, 2007. Publicly Released: Oct 22, 2007.
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Highlights

For years, the U.S. government has participated at international air shows, such as those in Paris, France, and Farnborough, United Kingdom, with federal agencies renting exhibit space to present program information, displaying aircraft, or providing assistance to U.S. aerospace companies seeking to showcase their businesses. Hosted by aerospace industry associations and foreign governments, these shows present opportunities for business networking and often serve as forums for announcing billions of dollars in contract awards. While large U.S. aerospace companies are generally well represented at these shows, the ability of small and medium-sized companies to participate is unclear. On the basis of your interest in understanding U.S. government and company involvement at major international air shows, we (1) identified federal agencies' participation as well as their support to U.S. companies at these shows since 2000 and (2) determined what factors affect small and medium-sized U.S. companies' decisions to participate.

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Aerospace industryAgency missionsAircraftAircraft industryCommercial aviationFederal agenciesFighter aircraftForeign governmentsGovernment information disseminationInternational cooperationInternational relationsInternational tradeSmall businessSmall business assistanceTrade fairs