Speaker Biograghy: Eric is Alliiance’s president and leads the firm’s international aviation practice. His first aviation architecture project was close to home: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP). Since 1989, he has brought his design leadership to over 39 additional airports, from Vail, CO; Memphis, TN; and Louisville, KY, to Reunion Island (Indian Ocean). His passion is in empowering others and enhancing passenger experience in all its permutations. A frequent contributor to industry publications, Eric also speaks regularly at professional aviation events and conferences around the world. He is a graduate of Washington University, St Louis and the University of Minnesota. Personal fact: He enjoys canoeing and fishing in the wilderness boundary waters of Minnesota and Ontario, and skiing wherever there’s a slope.


Day 2 - 15 March
Session: Airport Design, Planning & Development

09:35 - 10:05 - Delivering equitable access for airport use
Synopsis: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport is an international leader in passenger satisfaction and convenience, but MSP leadership is determined to go further, especially in terms of accommodating special-needs passengers. The airport is embarking on multi-year remodel efforts, and one aspirational element of those efforts is to become the most 'accessible' airport in the world. MSP’s Phil Burke and Alliiance’s Eric Peterson will discuss the importance and potential of addressing special needs, physical accommodation and the needs of an ageing public. Goals and strategies will be presented focusing on MSP, and examples from across the industry and beyond.

Audience will learn:

• Demographic and societal shifts
• Importance of addressing evolving passenger needs and expectations
• Stakeholder and community engagement practices to enrich development projects
• Processes for evaluating priorities in implementation
• Spreading the word – helping the public understand the enhanced options and improvements available to them