Summer 2024. Two Events. One Venue.

By Dan Dumbacher and Laura McGill|October 2023

In summer 2024, AIAA has a unique opportunity to bring together the global aerospace community for a week like no other. We’re hosting two of our signature events at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas to advance innovation in the Aeronautics and Space Domains.

2024 AIAA AVIATION Forum, 29 July–2 August, and 2024 ASCEND, 30 July–1 August, will be co-located at Caesars Forum. We believe this approach continues AIAA event excellence, while offering a seamless experience to attendees. This approach also provides an exceptional chance for innovation across the domains as the perceived separation begins to blend together. We anticipate welcoming approximately 4,000 attendees during the course of the week.

We will present two complete technical programs onsite. The Call for Papers and Call for Submissions for both events open for authors on 3 October. We are streamlining the submission process by creating a single ScholarOne site for both events, with the same abstract and manuscript deadlines. In addition, Technical Discipline Chairs and Forum Technical Chairs for each event will continue to own the review, decision, and sessioning process. The Technical Discipline Chairs also will have the ability to share rooms should there be any joint sessions created across the different disciplines. After the events, attendees will receive the full proceedings of both events. Each event will have its own Guiding Coalition of AIAA volunteers who will design the overall program for their event, including setting major themes and inviting high-level speakers.

While onsite, attendees will experience a number of benefits from the co-location.

• Attendees will register for one all-access ticket to attend the sessions and events of their choice. They will be granted full admission to networking events and receptions that are designed for everyone, and will be able to network with more leading industry executives, government officials, and academic minds.
• We are using an event app – EventPilot – so attendees can easily view and compare the different types of presentations and activities from both events in one place online.
• We will offer common programming daily on the main stage and host an expanded Exposition Hall showcasing the latest innovations, technologies, and new offerings.
• We will continue to present AIAA awards and lectures that recognize technical excellence.

For brief historical context, prior to the pandemic, AIAA had reinvented the previous AIAA SPACE Forum and created ASCEND. The Institute began planning the first ASCEND event prior to the pandemic-related shutdowns, with the commitment to continue meeting at Caesars Forum for several years. After being forced to hold the first ASCEND event fully online, we renegotiated our contract with Caesars Forum to extend until 2025 in order to avoid cancellation fees. Because this venue is available to us for more years than planned, the AIAA Board of Trustees approved that we take advantage of the singular destination to host these two annual events. We know some of our corporate and professional members will be able to reduce their travel requirements to attend AIAA events. We are planning to co-locate both events at Caesars Forum again in 2025. In 2026 and beyond, we will co-locate them in San Diego.

We are looking forward to seeing many of you during this unique week next summer.