Goodbody stockbrokers will host its first high-level aviation investor conference in the Gibson hotel next Friday (13th!), with a squadron of industry bigwigs due to attend.
After the nose dive in Ryanair’s share price this week, they should have no shortage of things to talk about.
The event is timed to coincide with next weekend’s FlightFest, when up to 30 aircraft will fly at low level through Dublin city centre along the path of the Liffey as part of the Gathering, as everything seems to be these days.
The Goodies guys plan to spread their wings in the aviation sector and this inaugural conference is all part of the plan to boost the firm’s exposure.
Among the speakers will be the Aer Lingus chief executive Christophe Mueller; Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar; Domhnal Slattery of the leasing firm Avalon; Willie Walsh, the chief executive of the BA-Iberia owner IAG, and the man of the moment, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary.
Proceedings will kick off on the Thursday evening, with a dinner at one of the city's finest restaurants hosted by Declan Ryan, the managing partner of Irelandia Aviation and a founder of Ryanair.
Next morning, Varadkar will formally open the conference before handing over to Mueller, who, rumour recently had it, has built a golf hole in his back garden in Howth. People close to him insisted to me that he hates golf, but I’m not hopping his garden hedge to check.
O'Leary and Walsh will then share the stage (the UK Competition Commission would probably have objected to Micko sharing it with Mueller). This will be followed by talks from the finance director of Pegasus (a Turkish version of Ryanair), the strategy wonk from EasyJet and Slattery.
Apparently, about 30 senior international fund managers are flying in to attend and there will about 70 investment types present in all.
Unfortunately, it is a closed doors event, so we won’t get to see Mueller’s face when O’Leary starts heckling him from the floor.
The Irish Aviation Authority is hosting the lunch. There will probably be a food fight at that as well.