Maintain Relationships with Existing Air Cargo Stakeholders
Like any other business, it is important to build and cultivate relationships with air cargo stakeholders. Stakeholders include carriers, freight forwarders, customs brokers, local and intercity trucking companies, ground handling companies, federal agencies, as well as the shippers themselves. Federal, state, and local agencies involved in air commerce are other important stakeholders. Meetings and interviews with stakeholders can yield detailed information on air cargo market dynamics as well as reliable forward-looking information on the market’s potential growth. Information gathered can help determine the strategy to develop an airport’s air cargo market to best meet the needs of the stakeholders. These relationships are often mutually beneficial as airports and stakeholders can assist each other in meeting their business development goals.
ACI-NA’s Air Cargo Manager, Section 5, Stakeholder Outreach discusses several ways to reach out to stakeholders including:
- Hold on-airport meetings and events
- Develop an air cargo task force
- Get involved in business community events
- Join trade-specific organizations
- Attend chamber of commerce meetings
- Attend government sponsored events
- Work with state and regional agencies involved with international trade development, site selection, and business recruitment
- Develop newsletters, blogs, and other publications which are valuable tools for outreach
More information on outreach and education can be found under the Media Toolkit and Role of the Airport pages.