History

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  History of PEW

  The Passenger Experience Week first started in 2000 as Aircraft Interiors Expo in Cannes as the world’s first entirely dedicated to aircraft interiors design, fitting out and completion.
   

  Take a look below to see the key dates in the expansion of the Passenger Experience Week.

• Key dates

  • 2000 – Aircraft Interiors Expo was established in Cannes.
     
  • 2002 – The expo moved to the Hamburg Messe due to the Aviation Hub in Hamburg and Airbus’ cabin interior facility.
     
  • 2004 – The launch of the IFE Zone, a zone dedicated to In-Flight Entertainment.
     
  • 2006 – A new twist in Hall 9 that saw the hall dedicated entirely to cabin communication and entertaining systems.
     
  • 2009 – The 10th anniversary of AIX. The anniversary party hosted the first live World Airline Awards based on Skytrax’s world airline survey.
     
  • 2010 – The new ‘Innovation Zone’ and ‘Innovation Lounge’ made its debut in 2010. Included in the zone were the Crystal Cabin Awards.
     
  • 2011 – This year’s event included the first German Pavilion for Young & Innovative Companies. This initiative meant that Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (the BMWi) included Aircraft Interiors Expo among its respected list of international trade fairs for the first time.
     
  • 2012 – After acquiring the ITCA expo in 2001, Reed Exhibitions launched World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo in 2012 co-located with Aircraft Interiors Expo. The 2012 event gained industry recognition and was nominated for an AEO Exellence Award. Launched also in 2012, the first conference at AIX to explore passenger experience trends and innovations. The Cabin Innovation & Strategies for the Future Conference set the pattern for future years by taking place the day before the exhibitions and including a choice of concurrent breakout streams.
     
  • 2013 – Building on the conference success from 2012, the Passenger Experience Conference was launched. A new development for the evening was the Industry Networking Party, where conference participants were joined by visitors and exhibitors to AIX and WTCE for live music, cocktails and a delicious selection of international cuisines.
     
  • 2014 – This year a fourth stream was added to the Passenger Experience Conference, entitled ‘Protecting the Brand: Cabin Maintenance’. This stream looked at how airlines can avoid the pitfall of spending too much money fixing poorly designed elements of their cabin.
     
  • 2015 – Due to the success of WTCE with exhibitors increasing to 300+ the show relocated to the A Halls of the Hamburg Messe. New features were introduced including: What's New Onboard showcasing products newly launched to market and the Travel Retail Zone & Trail further expanding the shows content. The Passenger Experience Conference also launched new sessions and provided more opportunities for delegates to create their own custom conference programmes.
     
  • 2016 – The new Rail Trail at WTCE highlighted how many exhibitors supply products suitable for trains and made sourcing products easier for the rail visitors.
     
  • 2017 – After four years at Hamburg’s CCH Congress Center, the Passenger Experience Conference moved to the same location as our first 2012 conference: Hamburg Messe Hall A4 Upper. WTCE also had a 'Focus on World Travel Retail' - showcasing a wide range of luxury Duty Free and Travel Retail goods for sale onboard the aircraft.
    
    
  • 2018 - Passenger Technology Solutions was launched, co-located with World Travel Catering & Onboard Services and Aircraft Interiors Expo, providing a platform for bespoke technology suppliers to showcase the innovations that could help airlines, rail and cruise operators alike to provide a more connected, more seamless end-to-end journey to their passengers.

  Find out more how the conference and the expos have evolved over the years individually below:

  PEC history AIX history WTCE history PTS history