Annual black tie dinner is a hit

Aerospace and defence companies from across the Midlands gathered in Birmingham for our annual, black tie dinner on 10th October. The popular event, now in its third year, has become one of the highlights of our calendar and is an unmissable opportunity to network with colleagues, partners, suppliers and customers.

As guests poured into the sell-out event, which was held at the prestigious Council House, the drinks reception was filled with lively conversation. It was a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and establish new relationships.

Kicking off the dinner were our chair, David Danger, and CEO, Andrew Mair, sharing industry insights, news and a taste of things to come including potential new funding opportunities. Then, Malcolm Harbour CBE, took to the stage as the evening’s VIP speaker. Malcolm had a distinguished career in the automotive industry and as a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands. He shared his passion for politics, his love of aeroplanes, reinforced aerospace’s importance to the UK and explained why innovation is so vital to the UK economy.

Guests also heard from David Byron, former managing director of bmibaby who helped turn the low-cost airline into a successful business. David has now turned his hand to comedy. He shared a wealth of entertaining stories and anecdotes as he flew through his experience of the aviation industry. He even enlisted guests to set up a fictional airline which culminated in a witty aircraft safety demonstration.

Closing the night was the charity raffle. Much inventiveness had gone into the prizes kindly donated by our members and, thanks to the generosity of guests, over £1,800 was raised for Once, We Were Soldiers, a charity that looks after homeless veterans across the Midlands.

Thank you to the event sponsors, AE Aerospace, Bromford Industries, Heller, Jonathan Lee and our supporting companies, Collins Aerospace, Meggitt, Moog and Rolls-Royce for helping us put on such a great night.