Taking Flight to New Industries: AAAE 2025

Trade shows can sound very intimidating, especially before your first one. Before my internship started, I was informed that I would be attending AAAE 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. One of my main goals coming into this internship was to take on challenges and further my knowledge of new industries, so it was certainly thrilling to see that I would have the chance to dive into the aviation side of the business. My time being an attendee was nothing short of amazing!

The Long Haul
An important part of these shows for us interns is the drive to and from wherever the show is located, where we haul the equipment with either a straight truck or a truck and trailer. I was fortunate enough to have Cooper Leslie with me, and having a co-driver makes a difference for someone who doesn’t have much experience with big vehicles. Something I realized throughout the drive is that we are getting a true experience of what the country has to offer. Getting to see different parts of Kentucky, Georgia, Missouri and Illinois made the drive worth it. Some might call these “fly-over states,” but every state has something special if you really look for it.

Daktronics Connections
One of my favorite parts of this trip was meeting and spending time with new coworkers. Our team consisted of Kevin Palmeter, Jay Bouton, Chris VanLiew, Kristina Lankow, Megan Richardson, Chance Littau, Cooper Leslie and me. Cooper and I were able to tag along for the preshow and nightly events with the team and this was a great way to get closer to everyone. It felt like from sunrise to sundown, we were staying productive while also enjoying our time.

It was intriguing to talk with Chris and Jay about former and upcoming projects with airports, as many of them attended the show. It was also cool to see how far Megan has come along in this industry with her being in my shoes just one year ago. This successful show has much to do with Kristina’s incredible planning and communication. This made everything flow very smoothly and efficiently. We also had a great time spending our restart day with her in the city!

(Also, if you are ever in Atlanta, you should definitely go do the Coca-Cola tour!) 

Booth, Show Floor and Sessions
This show was specifically fascinating to get an idea of the full structure of an airport. There were booths of just about everything, including:

• Seating and Airport Furniture
• Business consultants
• Airport operations
• Displays

The best part about the wide range of exhibitors was walking around the floor with Jay Bouton, who works with sales and business development with our aviation team. Jay had a great way of connecting with Cooper and me, and made it a priority to take us under his wing when catching up with his peers. One thing that really stood out to me was the outstanding culture that aviation professionals have with one another. There was true excitement from so many people there and that was incredible to see. 

Our booth displayed both our cutting-edge 0.9mm Chip on Board product and our durable 2.9mm JVX product. We also provided a lift kit to partner booth IDS. Cooper and I were tasked to set up and tear down the booth while also getting great help from Chance and the rest of the team. Digital displays have emerged into the aviation industry quickly. Here is where an airport could use our displays:

• Curbside
• Security
• Wayfinding
• Gate Information

Before the show started, Kevin had recommended to Cooper and me that we should check out the sessions that the show was offering. I didn’t really know what to expect but I am certainly happy we took his advice. There were several sessions I had the opportunity to attend. Some of them consisted of keynote speakers and some focused on smaller groups. One session that really stood out to me was titled “Small Airports doing Big Things.” Growing up in a small community and relying on small airports for travel most of my life, I know the importance of connecting a community like mine to a large market. For me it was always Aberdeen, SD, to Minneapolis, MN. It was great to hear the efforts these airports are making to continue taking strides to offer a reliable and efficient option for local travelers in their region.

Looking Back
When looking back at what made the Daktronics internship so appealing, I remember thinking about traveling, exploring new industries, meeting new people and representing a company that started it all from my home state. Seven months go by a lot faster than I thought. I hope to continue to learn something new every day and keep remembering to have fun.