With this year’s theme of “Pursue Your Passion,” NBAA’s Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference (S&D) returned to Long Beach, California, for the first time since 2009. Now in its 29th year, the annual conference continues to grow, with more than 550 exhibitors, a record, on the sold-out exhibition floor this year. It attracted more than 2,900 attendees, including more than 150 making their first visit to the conference. Several factors have led to more diversity of attendees at SDC over the years, said conference committee chair Robyn Carpenter. One is the entry of more men into schedulers and dispatchers career fields—positions that were previously occupied primarily by women. And changing communication needs between flight departments and corporations have led to a “trend where it’s not only schedulers and dispatchers at the conference, but also other department personnel, whether maintenance, crewmembers and department leaders,” she said.
