After careful consideration of the needs and circumstances of our attendees, airlines, exhibitors, and potential sponsors, as well as in light of continued international travel constraints, we are transforming RAA’s Annual Convention and Trade Show into a more intimate, in-person and virtual “hybrid” event on September 27-28, in Washington DC with a new design that takes into account the needs of both participants who wish to attend in person as well as those who wish to participate remotely.

As always, our first priority is the well-being of every member of our community – from our airline members to each industry partner who participates in our events. Although we will not proceed with our original, full-scale convention, planned for September 25-28, 2021 in Phoenix, AZ, RAA is pleased to announce the 2021 RAA Leadership Conference, to be held on September 27-28, 2021 in Washington, DC. This exclusive event will only be open to a limited number of in-person attendees, reflecting capacity restrictions and best practices; however, the virtual platform opens the convention doors to attendees across the globe.

Confirmed speakers for the 2021 RAA Leadership Conference already include numerous regional airline CEOs and additional planned speakers include government stakeholders and colleagues from the OEM and major airline communities. Confirmed speakers as of today include:

• The Honorable David P. Pekoske, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration
• A. Bradley Mims, Deputy Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
• Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), Ranking Member of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
• Senator Kristen Sinema (D-AZ), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovations, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
• Congressman Rick Larsen (D-WA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Aviation, House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
• Congressman Sam Graves (R-MO), Ranking Members of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure
• Congressman Danny Davis (D-IL)
• Major General Craig Wills, Nineteenth Air Force Commander, U.S. Air Force
• Faye Malarkey Black, RAA President & CEO
• Dion Flannery, CEO PSA Airlines and RAA Chair
• Chip Childs, CEO SkyWest Airlines and RAA Vice Chair
• Rick Leach, CEO GoJet Airlines
• Bryan Bedford, CEO Republic Airways
• Joe Sprague, CEO Horizon Air
• Tim Komberec, CEO Empire Airlines
• Linda Markham, President, Cape Air
• Nick Calio, President & CEO, Airlines for America
• George Novak, President & CEO, National Air Carriers Association
• Kevin Burke, President & CEO, Airports Council International- North America
• Steve Alterman, President & CEO, Cargo Airline Association
• Mark Neely, VP Sales & Marketing, Embraer, The Americas
• Ismail Mokabel, Senior Vice President and Head of Aftermarket, MHI RJ Aviation Group
• Christina Seda-Hoelle, General Manager, Regional and Business Aviation, GE Aviation
• Jon Ostrower, Editor-in-Chief, The Air Current
• Courtney Miller, Managing Director of Analysis, The Air Current

For additional speaker bios, please click here.

Registration Information

Registration Prices

• RAA Associate Member In-Person- $650
• RAA Associate Member Virtual- $325
• RAA Airline Member- Complimentary; please email registration@raa.org for code; limited in-person passes available
• RAA Airline Member Virtual- Complimentary, please email registration@raa.org for code
• Non-Associate Member In-Person- $850
• Non-Associate Member Virtual- $375
• Airline Purchasing Officials- Complimentary, please email registration@raa.org for code
• Airline (Non-Member RAA) In Person- $650, please email registration@raa.org for code
• Airline (Non-Member RAA) Virtual- $325, please email registration@raa.org for code
• Government Employee (Must register using .gov email address) In-Person- $425, please email registration@raa.org for code
• Government Employee (Must register using .gov email address) Virtual- $125, please email registration@raa.org for code
• University (Must register using .edu email address) In-Person- $650, please email registration@raa.org for code
• University (Must register using .edu email address) Virtual- $325, please email registration@raa.org for code
• Credentialed Press- Complimentary; please email registration@raa.org for code; limited in-person passes available
• Speakers- Complimentary; please email registration@raa.org for code
• Sponsors- Please refer to email for complimentary codes and other details, or email registration@raa.org for code

Please note: all RAA Associate Members must use the access code that was emailed to your RAA Associate Member representative and all member registrations will be checked for accuracy. 

If you are unsure of membership status, please email membership@raa.org. If you have any other questions regarding registration, please email registration@raa.org. 

***IMPORTANT: PLEASE ADD REGISTRATION@RAA.ORG TO YOUR ADDRESS BOOK OR CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER FOR ALL AUTOMATIC EMAILS FROM REGISTRATION WEBSITE.****

Media who would like to attend may inquire by emailing registration@raa.org.

Interested in Sponsoring?

Our conference team has reached out to those exhibitors with confirmed booth spaces from our now transitioned Phoenix event to discuss options that best fit their needs. If you need to reach our team, please contact diana@thelundiegroup.com. 

Want to Sponsor?  Sponsorships for the 2021 Leaders Conference are still available!  Please contact Diana Lundie at 704-620-8700 or Diana@thelundiegroup.com

To view our Sponsor Prospectus, click on button below:

Hotel Block:

RAA has reserved a block of rooms at the Westin, directly across the street from the event venue. The special room rates start at $219 per night. The cut off for reservations has been extended to Friday, September 24. Reservations made after that date may not qualify for the discounted group rate and are subject to availability. If there are currently no rooms available, please wait until we can add more rooms within the next business day. To reserve your room, click on button below:

COVID Safety:

The safety of those attending RAA’s 2021 Leaders Conference is a priority. In response to COVID-19, attendees have agreed to a waiver and a set of requirements prior to registering to attend the 2021 Leaders Conference in person.  To review these COVID safety requirements, please click here. 

IMPORTANT: The District of Columbia has announced that, as of July 31, all people over age two must wear a mask indoors regardless of vaccination status. Participants at the in-person RAA Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C. will be required to wear masks at all times, except when actively eating or drinking.

More than a year since our schedules, capacity and world was upended by a global pandemic, the bonds that hold our industry together have become more important than ever. RAA is determined to hold an event that reflects strong culture of community and allows us to gather as an industry of friends and colleagues, to hear from industry leaders, learn and share information, and develop and strengthen our business relationships. As we continue to develop and design the event, please keep checking this website and your inboxes for updates.

Whatever the format, you may count on our team’s commitment to producing a high-quality event that showcases the industry’s resilience and determination to rebuild, together, while protecting the important networking opportunities our airlines and their suppliers enjoy at RAA events.

If you have questions and feedback in the meantime, you may also reach out to our conference team to schedule time to talk or to raise questions by email. Diana Lundie, diana@thelundiegroup.com, (704) 620-8700 and Michelle Cravez, exhibits@raa.org, (202) 367-2323.

Our team has created a list of FAQs that may answer attendee, exhibitor and sponsor questions as they come up.

Click here for information regarding the event venue's COVID Safety Protocols.