Tiaca’s Air Cargo Forum shines in the sun - but glass ceiling still casts a shadow

© Boule13

Burnished by a warm sun in November is always a thing of beauty for northern Europeans. Add to that nicer prices and shorter flight times than the US, and Abu Dhabi more than meets conference requirements for many, especially when you factor in the city and host’s (Etihad) luxurious culture. 

Of course, many if not all of those benefits could equally have been provided in Dubai, Doha or Riyadh – other destinations that Tiaca approached for its 2025 Air Cargo Forum. 

But clearly, the choice of one led to the exclusion of others: aside from Etihad, none of the major Middle East carriers exhibited. In fact, the only carriers to exhibit were Astral, Atlas, Skyteam and Solitair.  

Of course, the ACF is as much about shoring up revenues at the not-for-profit association as it is about industry networking. And observers thought the ACF was probably sufficient for a year of running Tiaca. But it was hard not to come away with the impression that it was something of an intimate affair – a feeling no doubt accentuated by the impressively large venue, Etihad Arena, and the distance between the exhibition hall and the morning-only conference (a very beneficial format).  

The official number of registrations, according to Tiaca, was 1,001. The event app showed about 960 – but many recognisable names from the list were not in attendance, and of course there was a large local contingent registered, who may have popped in for an afternoon, rather than contributing to the overall sense of flow.  

A lower headcount means more time for people, less frenetic meetings. And is also an inevitability with the sheer – and frankly absurd – number of air cargo events in the market. From Baku to Shanghai, there are six major air cargo events in just eight weeks, and that’s not counting more specialised ones. Companies seem to have decided to send one or two people to each; or to pick just one for the whole team; or not to bother at all, such is the fear of dilution. 

(The winner so far, according to those who had visited a mix of events, was Aviation Connect in Copenhagen, rated highly for networking, format, and numbers of visitors.) 

Me? I like a smaller event; I like the sun; and I like Tiaca. (And I hate American prices.) But it will be interesting to see if event organisers next year look to cannibalise their business less by spreading the love more evenly through the year. No doubt a critical eye over the exhibition revenues will focus the mind. 

Tiaca meanwhile has reached a level of confidence and membership (500 now) whereby it believes an ACF each year is do-able. In a move to be much congratulated, over the past few years it has revitalised itself and the market; driven membership; taken on difficult topics such as sustainability; and added much value to both members and the industry at large.  

This ACF is particularly remarkable in that it is the start of a new era, one in which Roos Bakker takes over as chair from the elongated six-year stint of Steven Polmans. 

And hopefully this new era will not only top previous improvements, but also mark the end of Tiaca’s woman problem. 

And yes, it does have one. 

The glass ceiling is starting to glare. From the insistence on golf – an exclusive activity by gender and region (did you know, for example, that 75% of the world’s golf courses are in North America and Europe, leading to heavy bias towards those regions among its players?) – to the lack of women speaking, it’s starting to become only too apparent.  

Yes, in theory, of the speaker list some 29% were women. But: know your place, women. There were none in the top tier of talks: zero women on the two industry leaders’ panels; none in the ‘oasis’ fireside chats. So where were the bulk? Sustainability and HR. Ladies can’t be leaders, apparently. 

Mr Polmans claims to be a champion of ‘all talent’. He sees no value in promoting one sector over another. But this is fallacious thinking.  

Championing all talent simply maintains the status quo. Equality gives everyone the same resources – but some are already labouring under less. There are structural and systemic barriers facing women, such as unequal access to networks (see golf), and speaking (see leader panels). When women rise, they become role models and advocates for others, which breaks the cycle of exclusion. Meritocracy only works when everyone starts from the same place, and faces the same hurdles – which is demonstrably not the case. 

Without a defined focus on inclusion – which is also expected by potential new recruits to the industry – Tiaca looks and acts like an old boys’ club. Perhaps, for example, in the panel entitled ‘Tiaca chair: celebrating six years of leadership’, the two men might have introduced Ms Bakker, or even mentioned her by name. Somehow, it’s hard to imagine this glaring oversight would have happened had she been a man. 

This cannot be how an industry association operates. 

But Ms Bakker is young, and a fighter. Flanked by co-vice chairs, Miami airport’s Emir Pineda, and Tushar Jani, of India’s Cargo Service Center Group, she will have experienced and helpful guides. But one of her first jobs will be to ensure that Tiaca is there to help the industry improve and modernise – and that necessarily includes putting the growing cohort of women front and centre.