Helicopter maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) is the backbone of the rotorcraft industry. Without educated, informed, skilled, and fully staffed MRO teams, helicopter operations simply could not exist. So why has there never been a professional development conference focused entirely on rotorcraft MRO before today?
MHM Publishing, the team behind Vertical Magazine and its sister publications, set out to find a solution. MHM met last year with MRO professionals to develop a laser focused and intimate conference that directly served today’s MRO issues and needs.
The focus group offered its wish list. The conference would need to feature educational sessions, OEM briefings, skill building, professional development opportunities, networking, and exhibitors featuring MRO-focused products and services. It also had to be affordable, conveniently located for MRO operations, and include a workforce development component.
Eighty-six years after the first helicopter took flight, the Vertical MRO Conference will finally provide all of this and more for the rotorcraft MRO community.
“As the industry evolves, it’s crucial to bring together operators, OEMs, and MRO providers to discuss challenges, share best practices, and drive the future of helicopter maintenance,” said Ketan Desai, chief sales and marketing officer at Precision Aviation Group. “We believe it will serve as a vital platform for collaboration and innovation in the rotorcraft MRO sector.”
Vertical MRO Conference Kelowna & Irving
The 2025 Vertical MRO Conference is offered in two separate locations, with different programming offered at each. The conference is first and foremost a destination for learning. Both conferences are packed with educational sessions and panel discussions on the latest best practices, OEM maintenance information, lessons learned, and industry insights.
The first event takes place in Kelowna, British Columbia, at the KF Centre for Excellence from Oct. 7- 9. The second lands a month later in Irving, Texas (in the Dallas/Fort Worth area) at the Irving Convention Center from Nov. 10-12. Kelowna is smaller and more intimate with 42 vendors, 24 educational sessions, and a maximum of 350 attendees while Irving offers 73 vendors, 34 educational sessions, and a maximum of 500 attendees.
For both locations, the first day is dedicated solely to OEM briefings with presentations by aircraft and engine manufacturers. This is a whole day in Kelowna that includes lunch while Irving’s aircraft sessions are a half day starting at 2 p.m. with multiple additional OEM sessions offered during the rest of the conference.
The next two days in both locations include four one-hour educational and professional development sessions each day where attendees can choose between a selection of options per session, including several that qualify for recurrent training and inspector authorization (IA) renewal credit. The sessions are broken up by power breaks, lunch, and a happy hour to network. On both days, a continental breakfast, lunch, break snacks, and afternoon happy hour refreshments are included, thanks to generous sponsorships.
In Kelowna, each lunch includes a panel discussion while at the larger Irving conference, panel discussions will take place in the exhibit hall during the afternoon happy hour receptions.
The exhibit hall for both conferences will be open the second and third days before the first educational session, after lunch, and during the afternoon happy hour, leaving breaks and lunch for networking.
“Our goal is to provide valuable education opportunities while keeping everybody together as much possible to encourage networking, reconnecting, and getting to know each other, which was something that came up in our focus groups,” said MHM co-owner Linda Reyno.
The conference includes its own Vertical MRO app for attendees, which, upon registration, will help attendees keep track of their individual schedules and directly connect with each other.
Education First
Attendees sign up for their preferred educational sessions when registering for the Vertical MRO Conference. Several sessions are offered more than once to help attendees maximize their options, however, all sessions have limited space and fill on a first come, first served basis.
The education sessions span a vast range of MRO-related topics from hard skills and maintenance techniques to best practices, human factors, and safety. Examples include maintenance of onboard systems cargo hooks and hoists, proper use of borescopes, advanced rotor track and balance techniques, root cause analysis, understanding electronics and automation, managing maintenance risk, understanding HUMS, how employee traits predict safety in aviation maintenance, best practices in inspections, and maintenance, care, and inspection of elastomeric components.
Sessions at both events also include valuable leadership training, a key professional development component. Leadership in Helicopter Maintenance: Inspiring Teams and Building Culture will be offered at both events, with Kelowna’s being led by Emily Kutryk and Krishna Mann from Elevate Aviation while Volo Mission Co-founder President Kim Hutchings leads the course in Irving. Emmy award winning presenter and employee retention expert Clint Pulver will also give his high-powered popular presentation I Love It Here: How Great Leaders Create Organizations Their People Never Want to Leave at both events.
While both events feature some of the same educational session, each also offers options only available at that event. For a full list of all sessions and their descriptions at each event, visit verticalmro.com and click on “Click here to register for Kelowna” or “Click here to register for Irving.” Scroll down for the agenda each day.
Preparing for the Future
Future workforce and workforce development continue to be a primary focus in MRO. In order to support the next generation of maintenance professionals, Vertical MRO is free for aviation maintenance students and apprentices.
“We are really encouraging aviation maintenance students to attend, to learn more about the industry, find potential mentors, network with potential employers, and hopefully get really excited about entering helicopter MRO,” said Vertical MRO Event Director Leslie Ferry. “It is an excellent way for them to get a foot in the door and learn about the industry, and also a way for our industry to meet the next generation, mentor them, and network.”
Exhibitors who are hiring will be wearing ‘we’re hiring’ pins, an open invitation for students and maintenance professionals to strike up a conversation to discuss job openings.
“We’re excited to see an event dedicated to the hardworking AMEs who keep our rotorcraft flying,” said Ronnie Ries, vice president of marketing at GPMS. “With the need to attract fresh talent to the industry, the Vertical MRO Conference will empower the current and future workforce with top-tier education, insights, and valuable networking to enhance their expertise and impact.”
The Vertical MRO Conference is ideal for MRO managers, directors of maintenance, maintenance technicians, purchasing managers, directors of safety, suppliers, manufacturers, regulators, apprentices, students, and anyone interested in becoming an aviation maintenance professional.
The cost to attend is $299 (US and Canadian) per person for each conference and $199 per person for companies with more than 10 employees attending. Students and apprentices can request a code to register free of charge by emailing
Leslie.ferry@mhmpub.com.
For more information on the conference, affiliated hotels and their rates, and more, visit verticalmro.com.