Washington to host major aerospace summit in 2012

The state of Washington will play host to a major summit for global aerospace and defense companies next year.

The event, the first of its kind to be held in the United States, was announced Tuesday.

The Aerospace & Defense Supplier Summit will be hosted by BCI Aerospace and supported

by the Boeing Co. and Washington’s Department of Commerce. It will be held March 12 to 15 at the Seattle Convention Center. BCI Aerospace organizes similar aerospace and defense networking events around the world.

“The Aerospace & Defense Supplier Summit provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity for suppliers to engage with major suppliers of the Boeing Co., and make connections that can expand their business and technology reach,” said Stan Deal, general manager of supplier management for Boeing’s commercial airplanes division.

Four Boeing business units — commercial airplanes; defense, space and security; engineering, operations and technology; and shared services group — will participate in the event.

“This is an ideal opportunity to showcase the hundreds of outstanding local aerospace companies to important industry partners from around the country and the world,” said Rogers Weed, commerce director for Washington.

A total of 600 businesses and 1,200 individuals are expected to participate. The first day of the event will include workshops and key insights from industry leaders. The following two days will be devoted to face-to-face meetings between companies with mutual interests.