The National Business Aviation Association published the first Horizon Stage programme on 24 September 2026. The stage is new. It sits on the exhibit floor in West Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center, at booth 4369. BACE itself still runs 20 to 22 October.
Jo Damato, NBAA's senior vice president for events and professional engagement, said the stage will honour some of the industry's icons and put innovators on the show floor. Headline sessions now take place among the stands. A fleet manager can hear them without leaving the hall.
The opening block is on 20 October from 09:00 to 10:00. Stephanie Goetz hosts. NBAA will present its Meritorious Service to Aviation Award to Steven F. Udvar-Hazy. Udvar-Hazy then talks with Ross Perot Jr., a past winner of the same award. The 24 September release says welcome remarks come from NBAA board members and senior leadership. The Horizon Stage page on the BACE site still names president and chief executive Ed Bolen for those remarks. NBAA said on 18 September that Dan Hubbard is running day to day work, including BACE, while Bolen takes leave.
Safety follows at 10:30. The Flying Safety Awards recognise operators with 50, 60 and 75 years of accident-free flying. The Dr Tony Kern Professionalism in Aviation Award is on the same block. The Horizon Stage page runs that session to 11:15.
On 21 October the stage turns to the people who staff the fleets. Military Connect runs from 10:00 to 10:45. Lloyd "Fig" Newton, a retired four-star US Air Force general and chair emeritus of the NBAA board, is listed, as is Daniel J. Edward, a retired USAF veteran now at the US Department of Transportation. From 15:30 to 17:00 Jamail Larkins records AviationStart, a FLYING production, in front of a live audience. Alpha Wingman's PitchAv contest fills 14:00 to 17:00 the same afternoon, with new firms pitching to a panel of judges.
Indoor exhibits in West Hall run 10:00 to 17:00 on 20 October, 09:00 to 17:00 on 21 October, and 09:00 to 15:00 on 22 October. Aircraft Connection remains at Henderson Executive Airport on 20 and 21 October. On 20 October that ramp is listed from 13:00 to 17:00. On 21 October it is listed from 09:00 to 17:00. The rest of the education programme stays in the usual rooms, covering operations, safety and maintenance among other tracks on the organiser site. Horizon Stage does not replace those rooms. It puts a few name sessions on the floor so traffic in West Hall does not have to choose between a stand and a closed session. Sponsor spots fill gaps on 20 and 21 October. Treat those as exhibitor time, not the award block.
Goodall Aviation watches BACE because owners and operators still do capacity business on that floor. We arrange ACMI and wet lease cover for private business jets. We do not sell passes. The contact page is the place if a fleet needs cover while people are in Las Vegas.
Sources: nbaa.org, nbaabace.org, nbaabace.org