Report By Humayun Kabir from Lisbon Portugal.
GSE Expo Europe -2024 is being held from 17-19 September at the FIL in Lisbon, Portugal and was organized as a partnership between the International Airport Equipment Manufacturers’ Association (IAEMA) and Ground Handling International.
where the group held its reception in the Media Zone , and was attended by representatives from the GSE industry and Ground Handling International. The event at GSE Expo Europe was Women in GSE’s second event after the 8th Americas GHI Conference held in June in Toronto, Canada.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Laura McGrath, Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager at Mallaghan said aviation and GSE is a predominantly male industry, so the group is helping women collaborate, meet and support each other. She aded that the feedback has been brilliant, saying: “It’s great to see so many people who I would never have come across in the industry. The feedback is asking why this was not done sooner.”
Working with the group has surprised McGrath, who admitted she did not know so many women worked in the industry, saying: “It’s amazing the diversity of roles within companies who are such an asset to the GSE industry.”
Engineering is a fast-growing and diverse industry so McGrath would like to see more girls and women considering engineering careers.
Women of GSE plan more networking events at conferences, and the plan is for more factory visits and charity work, with McGrath saying the LinkedIn group is gaining members every day so she has high hopes for the group.
The reception came on a successful second day at GSE Expo Europe, with GHI Conference Chairman Max Gosney saying feedback from visitors and exhibitors has been positive.
The total unique visitors was almost 3,500, putting the show in Lisbon above the figures achieved at the 2022 show in Paris.
Gosney said: “People have said to me that what separates this event from the others is the ability to see something different and discover innovation. Those elements and the Innovation Zone roundtables are adding extra flavour to an already must-attend event because there are so many knowledgeable, powerful decision makers here.”
Highlights from the first day were Charlatte Manutention demonstrating its autonomous baggage tractor in the Demo Zone and Linde Material Handling displaying its P350 Baggage Tractor again.
In the Innovation Zone, Siemens Logistics gave a talk about health & safety for baggage handlers, TractEasy had a second session about its autonomous vehicles and VIRV returned to talk about its innovative charging solutions.