A Message from John Leenhouts
For over 45 Years, SUN ‘n FUN has brought millions of aerospace professionals, businesses, supporters and enthusiasts together each spring to celebrate the incredible wonder and limitless opportunities of flight.
In 2014, we proudly unveiled that the annual SUN ‘n FUN event would become the primary fundraiser for the Aerospace Center for Excellence (ACE), our STEM-based learning campus created to Engage, Educate, and Accelerate the Next Generation of Aerospace Professionals. At SUN ‘n FUN, serving our local Lakeland, Florida as well as the global aviation community has always been our ultimate mission.
This year, we will serve those same communities by assisting in the defeat of the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognize and acknowledge that this threat has changed the world we live in, and that it is our responsibility to join the fight to bring it to as swift an end as humanly possible.
We stand with our local, state, and national leaders in supporting public health practices that will bring this outbreak to a halt as quickly as possible. Even now, most of our staff are working from home in compliance with social distancing directives, with those that must come in adhering to strict isolation and sanitation policies.
Unfortunately supporting these initiatives will mean that the 2020 SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo will be unable to proceed as originally planned. Regardless of the financial impact, for the safety of all, we will move our 46th event to join with the 47th in April of 2021.
The annual SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo provides over $2 million annually for STEM education programs, flight training and aerospace-related college scholarships, and hands-on learning facilities. Based on the SUN ‘n FUN Expo Campus, this year-round institution reaches over 50,000 students annually, and provides free resources for educators to assist them in delivering high-quality STEM learning material.
To continue providing these critical resources, our team is working hard on bringing the spectacle and excitement of SUN ‘n FUN to you in the digital world! We will be utilizing the latest technology to host exciting events and content online in new and innovative ways. While we are of course disappointed that our traditional show must wait until 2021, we are invigorated and excited to announce several things to look forward to in the coming weeks in our brand new “SUN ‘n FUN at Home” Series.
We are in the process of a complete overhaul of our website, www.flysnf.org, in order to bring you a brand new digital experience. Here you will find ongoing updates and information on upcoming events, as well as details for current ticket holders and event partners.
We need your help to continue our mission, so please, visit the website and keep in touch with us on our social media channels. We’re already working on making 2021 the best event ever, and we’ll look forward to welcoming you back here next spring to celebrate the return of the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo!