Airport conference lands in Newport

Paul Clinton

NEWPORT BEACH -- An annual conference for airport executives has taken

on a more somber tone this year, as airport executives congregate this

week in the main ballroom of the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel and Tennis

Club.

Airport managers arrived in the city Sunday, the first day of a

five-day event hosted by John Wayne Airport brass.

“John Wayne Airport is pleased to host this year’s conference,”

Airport Director Alan Murphy said. “Broad discussions about the future of

aviation will be presented, . . . particularly with respect to post-Sept.

11.”

Just because the event was booked far in advance of Sept. 11 hasn’t

taken some of the fun out of an event once known mostly for schmoozing

and deal-cutting.

However, executives say they will use the event, the 56th annual

Southwest Chapter of the American Assn. of Airport Executives conference,

to bounce around ideas about how to implement a bevy of new federal

security regulations for airports.

“All of our meetings have had a different tone since 9/11,”

association President Charles “Chip” Barclay said. “We’ve seen more

seriousness.”

John Wayne Airport officials began applying for the conference in

1998, booking it before the devastating toll the terrorist attacks of

Sept. 11 took on the travel industry.

Leaders of the trade group initially signed a contract with the hotel

to block out 250 of the Marriott’s 530 rooms per night for the event,

Event Manager Jennifer Stanton said.

About 120 executives have registered for the event, along with about

20 exhibitors.

“They did the best they could,” Stanton said. “It’s turning out to be

a whole lot different than we expected.”

Newport Beach Mayor Tod Ridgeway, Murphy and other officials are

scheduled to formally open the event at a breakfast this morning.

Another speaker is Charlotte Bryan, the go-between for airport

managers and the newly formed Transportation Security Administration. The

agency, created in President Bush’s landmark airport security bill last

fall, is the first significant federal agency created since World War II.

The conference, like a string of others during the year, is a shot in

the arm for the local economy, said Richard Luehrs, the executive

director of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce.

“This is good for the city because those delegates all dine out, shop

and recreate in the community,” Luehrs said. “It’s a pretty important

part of our economic makeup.”

* Paul Clinton covers the environment and politics. He may be reached

at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7 paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .