Connect with industry leaders, innovators, and partners in a relaxed evening setting. The Networking Reception offers a perfect opportunity to build relationships, exchange ideas, and foster new collaborations across the aerospace and defence sectors.

Start the day with fresh coffee, tea, muffins, and biscuits while networking and getting ready for the sessions ahead.

Discover how Alberta is aligning its aviation, aerospace, and defence sectors around a shared vision. By breaking down silos and strengthening collaboration, the Provincial Council is helping build one unified industry voice to support growth, resilience, and long-term success across the province.

Continuing the conversation: Discover how Alberta is bringing its aviation, aerospace, and defence sectors together. From breaking down silos to creating a unified industry voice, this dynamic group of speakers offer a high-level look at the province’s shared vision and the opportunities it creates for everyone in the sector. Be inspired by what’s next for Alberta’s industry.

This panel session will highlight the role of Indigenous participation and partnerships within Alberta’s aviation, aerospace, and defence sectors. Speakers will explore opportunities for meaningful engagement, economic participation, and long-term collaboration across industry, communities, and governments. The discussion will focus on building respectful partnerships, supporting Indigenous-led initiatives, and identifying pathways for shared growth across the sector.

This panel session will explore Alberta’s evolving aviation and aerospace manufacturing landscape. Panelists will discuss current capabilities, emerging opportunities, and what is needed to attract, grow, and retain manufacturing investment in the province. From global OEMs to local suppliers, the conversation will focus on collaboration, supply-chain readiness, workforce considerations, and Alberta’s value proposition as a manufacturing hub.

 Emerging Issues & Opportunities in the Sector

Multi-use technologies sit at the intersection of civilian innovation and defence capability. From drones and AI to space, cybersecurity, and advanced materials, solutions built for commercial markets are increasingly critical to national security—and defence innovation is driving civilian applications in return.
This session explores what multi-use really looks like in practice, why it matters now, and how companies—especially SMEs—can navigate procurement, regulation, and commercialization to succeed in both markets without stalling growth.

Alberta is positioned to lead Canada’s next wave of growth in aviation, aerospace, and defence — but leadership takes investment. This session brings together the organizations driving capital, innovation, and strategic partnerships into Alberta’s sky-bound industries.

From airport expansions and aerospace R&D to advanced manufacturing and defence technology, hear how Alberta’s economic development leaders are attracting global investors, supporting local companies to scale, and building the infrastructure for long-term competitiveness.

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, policymaker, or investor, this is your roadmap to understanding where the opportunities are and how to get involved in Alberta’s next major growth frontier.

This session will explore the evolving role of airports across Alberta, from regional connectivity to economic development and community engagement. Discussion will touch on infrastructure, events, innovation, and partnerships that support airport sustainability and growth, while positioning airports as key contributors to the broader aviation ecosystem.

From day-to-day operational realities to long-term strategic planning, airline operators face increasing complexity. This session explores key trends influencing airline operations today and highlights opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and alignment across the aviation ecosystem.

Maintenance is the backbone of aviation, aerospace, and defence—where safety, reliability, and mission readiness are won or lost.

As fleets become more complex and operational demands intensify, cutting-edge technologies are transforming how maintenance is performed and how engineers work on the frontline. From smarter diagnostics to advanced modification techniques, innovation is accelerating at every turn.

Join this breakout session to explore the technologies shaping maintenance today and the innovations set to redefine maintenance and modification tomorrow. Discover how the future of fleet support is being built—and what it means for the aircraft maintenance engineer at the heart of it all.

Artist Ken Letander

How technology is driving changes in the aviation and multimodal logistics space?
As aviation and multimodal logistics evolve, technology is driving major changes across sourcing, procurement, distribution, and infrastructure. This session explores the unique complexities of the aviation supply chain, how digital transformation is improving efficiency and resilience, and the challenges of operating in remote and northern regions. Panelists will also highlight emerging career pathways and the talent needed to support a rapidly changing aviation logistics environment.

A unified front is needed to create a robust drone ecosystem in the province. Bringing together industry, government and academia to examine the great breadth of the drone value chain, define the gaps and begin the process to address them. From policy to education, entrepreneurship to government initiatives, we will explore drones as a driver of regional economic development for the province.

As Alberta’s aviation, aerospace, and defence sectors evolve, workforce development must shift from what is currently offered to what industry truly needs. This session brings together industry leaders, labour market forecasters, and funding representatives to discuss current and future talent demands—and the actions required to meet them.

Through a panel discussion and interactive roundtables, participants will explore workforce gaps, skill alignment, and emerging opportunities. Educators and industry representatives will collaborate to identify specific training needs, supported by on-site data collection and surveys to inform future planning and policy recommendations.

Folowed by Canadian Aircraft Maintenance Competition Awards