Executive Summary

Project Planning & Idea Development

 KES Consulting has been involved in numerous project planning situations beginning in 2007 when planning began to open LA/Palmdale Regional Airport and promotion of the air service. KES Consulting was involved in the detail planning of the May 2007 Open House to the public where approximately 300+ residents in the area turned out for a advance look at the airport prior to the official opening and service startup. Additional planning and idea development work was performed for the Inaugural service at PMD which attracted 400+ area residents, travel industry stakeholders, local officials and media. Similar events planned for Express Jet at Ontario which included (among other things) a hangar party, introduction of the A380 to L.A. travel professionals, introduction of new service from LAX on Korean Air, Virgin America, Emirates, Alitalia and Vaustralia.

 Event Coordination & Management

In addition to the above, KES Consulting president, Kathleen Sedlmayr was directly responsible for event coordination and management of a Travel Industry Breakfast reception to introduce Express Jet to local industry stakeholders, a detailed 2-day familiarization trip for travel agents from ExpressJet cities being served from LA/Ontario International Airport, industry functions with the Jet Hawks baseball team that LAWA sponsored from 2007-2009 in an effort to market the air service at PMD, bi-monthly stakeholder meetings at LA/Palmdale Regional Airport, and more.

Event Layout

 As coordinator of several events, I have been responsible for the content and program layout. For example, I was a moderator for a symposium on Airport Security at UCLA on behalf of the Los Angeles Business Travel Association and was given full control of the hour long program from narration and introductions of panel members to Q & A.

Sponsorship Marketing

I have recently been engaged with sponsorship marketing on behalf of the Antelope Valley School District as one of the chairpersons involved with a volunteer program for high school seniors called Salute to Youth. Each chairperson, responsible for a segment of business, (I was chair of Travel & Tourism), must call on business owners or members of their industry to get sponsorship by way of monetary contributions or volunteers for the event. The volunteers attend the event and talk with interested students about how they can enter certain fields of interest after graduation and the higher education requirements to qualify for various careers.

Entertainment & Media Coordination

 As far as media coordination is concerned, I actively use many different social media tools as a way to promote or market events or news worthy items of interest to specific groups. In addition, I have access to several news outlets in order to promote various topics, stories or events. I haven't had the opportunity to arrangement entertainment, (production shows, talent, etc); I do have a few sources on file that I can call upon for that type of service.

 Branding and Market Analysis

During the start up of Express Jet at LA/Ontario Int’l Airport, I was solely responsible for introducing this virtually unknown branded name to the travel industry in order to secure support for booking an unknown airline. This is truly a difficult task with travel industry professionals due to their inability to trust new airlines because of past airline failures. However, with the help of the wonderful people at ExpressJet, we jump started the airline and catapulted them to legendary stardom in the Ontario market with 80% load factors 6 months after their first inaugural flight.

 Market analysis data I was able to discover in the LA/Palmdale Regional Airport market was unprecedented for the entire history that Los Angeles World Airports had control over the facility. My analysis alone was pivotal in the course of events that followed the initial start up. Unfortunately, LAWA brought me on board just weeks prior to deciding the airline and connecting city that would service PMD so my market analysis was not considered (since it had not yet been done). My point here is that market analysis by someone who knows the industry is crucial in developing the right service for the market.

KES Consulting will partner, when or if necessary, with other companies in various fields of expertise to help achieve goals set forth by the client.