More than 600 top investors from around 350 firms, including Goldman Sachs, Blackstone and the Qatar Investment Authority, will descend on Hampshire this month for the new Farnborough International Airshow Finance Summit, and if the guest list is not reserved for the first time.
The Aerospace Global Forum: The Financial Forum, launched at this year’s show, is designed to connect global capital and opportunities across aerospace, defense, space, cyber and enabling technologies, from industry giants to emerging startups.
For UK founders and top tiers in the sector, that’s important. The program puts private equity funds, private houses, multibillion-dollar corporate firms, hedge funds and M&A specialists in the same halls as businesses hunting for growth capital, in a show where the 2024 program has made at least £13 billion of deals in the UK.
Key representatives are expected from Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citigroup, Barclays, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Blackstone, Carlyle, Warburg Pincus, Mubadala, Qatar Investment Authority, Temasek International and Tikehau Capital, among others.
British institutions are also on the list, including the British Business Bank, the London Stock Exchange and UK Export Finance, a government agency that provides export credits, which is a sign that the conference is about supporting domestic suppliers as much as attracting overseas money.
Gareth Rogers, CEO of Farnborough International, said: “Finance and investment have always been themes of the air show, but we wanted to emphasize supporting the industry as it continues to grow.
Time is hard to make a mistake. The UK’s aerospace, defence, security and space industries contribute more than £42 billion a year to the economy, according to ADS Group figures, and ministers have been working to draw smaller defense suppliers deeper into the MoD’s supply chain through a dedicated growth unit. The capital, in short, is looking for a home in the sectors where British SMEs are strongest.
Attendees identified the conference program, market trends, new business relationships, collaboration with existing partners and visibility of new projects as their key reasons for coming, according to organizers.
The conference will hold key sessions, panel discussions, tables and dedicated networking as part of the Aerospace Global Forum, with the stated aim of connecting investors, banks and consultancies with organizations ranging from global institutions to emerging startups.
For a small business, the calculation is straightforward. Investor meetings of this nature usually mean a trip to Mayfair or Manhattan and a warm introduction. For one week this summer, the capital is coming to Farnborough instead, in what organizers expect to be the biggest show in the event’s history.
