Inside Sun ’n Fun: Gene Conrad on Running a $7 Million Aviation Event
Six days, $7 million, 60,000 attendees and more than 3,000 volunteers. How Florida’s biggest aviation event comes together.
As a teenager in Oshkosh, Gene Conrad counted the airplanes at EAA AirVenture to see which group had brought more. Today he runs Sun ’n Fun in Lakeland, Florida.
In Episode 352, he takes Justin behind the scenes of a six-day event that costs $7 million to produce.
- 01What a major aviation event really costs, including about $700,000 for tents
- 02How Sun ’n Fun works with Amazon’s Lakeland hub and the Blue Angels
- 03How running an airport differs from running an airshow
- 04Managing more than 3,000 volunteers
- 05Plans for new 40,000-square-foot exhibit buildings
- 06Why safety, not attendance, is the measure of success
The cost of a show
Sun ’n Fun runs six days, costs $7 million to produce and draws more than 60,000 attendees. Tents alone run about $700,000.
Working with big partners
The event coordinates with the US Navy Blue Angels and with Amazon Air’s large Lakeland hub.
Behind the scenes
Gene explains how running an airport differs from running an airshow, managing more than 3,000 volunteers, features like the Island and the Swamp, new 40,000-square-foot air-conditioned exhibit buildings, and lessons from mistakes like a WiFi failure.
The real measure
His favorite outcome is closing the airport because there is no parking left. But he measures success by whether everyone gets home safely, not by attendance or revenue.
Gene Conrad
Gene Conrad is President and CEO of the Aerospace Center for Excellence and the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo. He grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, the son of an airport director.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Sun ’n Fun cost to produce?
Gene Conrad says the six-day event costs $7 million to produce.
How many people attend Sun ’n Fun?
More than 60,000 people attend.
How many volunteers work Sun ’n Fun?
More than 3,000.
