French aerospace industries association GIFAS, in partnership with a Paris-based agency, Hopscotch, has taken the wraps off a new concept for the 2017 edition of the Paris Air Show (19th – 25th June).
The concept is called Paris Air Lab — a 2,000m2 zone in the Concorde Hall of the Le Bourget Air and Space Museum entirely dedicated to innovations in the aerospace sector.
Organised beneath the wings of the two Concorde aircraft on permanent display in the Hall, there will be three main types of activity:
• Pick up your Innovation — a collection of exhibits concerning major national and European programmes, juxtaposed with ideas being pursued by start-ups around the following themes:
- aeronautics (aircraft of the future, sustainable aviation, propulsion …);
- digital data and new applications (drones, connectivity, factory of the future …);
- space (Earth obsevation, space agencies …).
Twice a day, there will be keynote presentations by major players to introduce a series of pitches by start-ups.
• Visionary Hub: short conferences to encourage exchange and confrontation of ideas concerning tomorrow’s aerospace sector. Prominent personalities and experts from from different backgrounds will stimulate debate about major trends now and in the future.
• Experimental Gates: immersive aerospace experiences involving virtual and augmented reality, organised around four main themes: inside the cockpit, in flight, space exploration and becoming an astronaut.
Paris Air Lab will be located close to the “Avion des Métiers – Forum Emploi et Formation”, an area dedicated to jobs and careers in the aerospace sector.