Panelists: Paul Mayer – Ex-Twinwoods, Wayne Loxton – iFLY, Anton Westman – Inclined
Labs, Boris Nebe – ISG Group, Patrice Girardin – FFP; Moderator: Jay Stuart.
The look back at some of the most established competitions on the calendar made a distinction between those governed by the World Air Sports Federation – FAI and others run independently by individual tunnel operators and other organizations such as the International Bodyflight Association.
Despite the differences in their rules and in their general conduct, all competitions tend to look and feel pretty much the same to the public and the media. There are, however, considerable differences in how the individual events are perceived – based on the levels of comprehension and knowledge that are required from an audience.
A productive discussion ensued over what would need to be done to come up with different competition formats and new events that would have maximum appeal to the participants and to a broader public. One point was emphasised repeatedly: aside from being attractive to those entering as well as those watching, competitions would need to reach the grassroots too. Organizing competitions for the top-tier athletes alone is not as a viable proposition for the tunnel operators as putting on events where local low-time flyers can enter and gain experience.
Several other points in this context were addressed during the one-hour session, watching the recording in its entirety is highly recommended.
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