After AAAE 2026, Airports See Events and Experiences in a New Light
- Gina Marie Paquette
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
AAAE’s 98th Annual Conference and Exhibition brought the industry together for another remarkable show! Los Angeles World Airports rolled out the red carpet, welcoming airport leaders, operators, innovators, and partners for several days of thoughtful conversations about where the industry is headed next.
Between panels, meetings, and time spent reconnecting with peers, Montee Fiely and I joined our friends from Daktronics in their booth.
As always, AAAE’s Annual Conference created countless opportunities to share perspectives and examine where the industry is headed next. Here are a few key takeaways that we brought home from this year’s show.
Airport Events and Experiences Remain a Top Priority
As airports prepare for a mega-decade of events, they’re also preparing to create unforgettable passenger experiences.
The FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Summer Olympics, and more major events are expected to bring millions of international travelers through U.S. airports. These moments will create significant surges in passenger volume and redefine how airports connect with travelers.
In a standout panel, Courtney Moore, CRO and Experience Officer at LAX, discussed how each step of the passenger journey shapes the airport experience. Travelers aren’t just moving through the terminal. They are arriving at a destination, forming impressions, and interacting with the airport as part of a larger journey.
This perspective is especially important amid major events. With the right content strategy, airports can welcome passengers to their home city, highlight local culture, and build on the energy surrounding each event. As LAWA Airport Director John Ackerman emphasized in a recent Q&A with Airport Magazine, localized content plays a critical role in creating airport experiences that represent the home city and leave “people with the best impression.”
Events’ Effect on Operations
Multiple conversations and panels, including the educational session “Operational Readiness for Events,” explored how major events impact day-to-day operations.
From security and staffing the passenger flow and communication, every part of the airport must be prepared to accommodate surges in traffic. These surges place pressure on systems, teams, and infrastructure, especially when passengers are unfamiliar with the airport, the region, or even the country.
In the past, the focus was on how airports could handle those surges. Now, the question is larger: how can airports manage those event surges while delivering exceptional experiences?
Airports Are Exploring New Avenues for Growth
The answer requires new tools and new approaches.
Airport leaders are exploring AI, smart systems, and purpose-built tools that are tailored to their needs, as highlighted in the trend talk “A New Hope for Airport Operations: The End of Off-the-Shelf and the Rise of AI Built for You.”
Operational agility and efficiency remain top priorities. What’s changed is how airports create them. Traditional systems and static signage can no longer meet the full range of airport needs, especially during large-scale events.
Airports need flexible platforms that can deliver better content, respond to changing conditions, and support new revenue opportunities. As Airport Magazine recently highlighted, airports are also looking more closely at how to monetize existing assets to fund future growth.
Synect’s Solutions Support Airport Growth
Synect’s solutions are designed to support this shift.
Passenger360, the only digital content management system (DCMS) built for airports, streamlines content across the airport. ReadySeeGo improves passenger engagement and throughput in targeted zones, as shown in our award-winning Better, Faster Security Checkpoints program. Friendlier FIDS and multilingual wayfinding make it easier for every passenger to access critical information and move confidently through the airport.
EventReady brings these capabilities together to create the exact event experience each airport needs. Event-tailored content engages passengers and influences behavior, helping airports manage flow during peak demand. Sponsored content opens new revenue opportunities for airports. Multilingual wayfinding reduces anxiety, supports accessibility, and improves throughput.
By delivering context-aware messaging at key moments in the passenger journey, airports can create more seamless airport events and experiences from curb to gate. Operations improve, passengers feel more supported, and airports gain new opportunities to grow.
Whether preparing for an event on the global stage or enhancing everyday travel, airports benefit from communication strategies that support passengers in real time.
Looking Ahead After AAAE LAX
AAAE’s 98th Annual Conference and Exposition emphasized our industry’s evolution. Airports are focused on transformation, capitalizing on their dynamic environments by unifying operations, communication, and experience.
The upcoming mega-decade of events will play a central role in accelerating that evolution. Events challenge airports to perform at the highest level, but they also offer opportunities to innovate, grow, and redefine what the passenger journey can be.
Montee and I had a spectacular time discussing these ideas in Los Angeles, and we’re already looking forward to next year’s show in Phoenix.
If you’d like to connect sooner, reach out. I’d love to continue the conversation.
