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IPEC, the inflight entertainment (IFE) event of the year takes place at Hammersmith’s Novotel next week, an event for professional ‘techies’ the results of which we travellers see in two or three years` time. It runs concurrently with LARA, the low fare and regional summit, two conferences and one exhibition.

Both have their awards. The IFE shortlist contains the usual front runners in the airline IFE area - Emirates, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, plus Alaska Airlines whose APS/Wencor digEplayer is a handheld device which uses video-on-demand technology to deliver a spectrum of inflight entertainment choices.

The IFE Product of the Year is between the digEplayer, MAS (Panasonic) System 3000i and Thales TopSeries.

The Provider of the Year is a choice between AirCell, ARINC, Connexion by Boeing, Inmarsat, SITA, Verizon Airfone.

LARA includes the Regional Airline World awards, the short list in the airline sector Air Nostrum, FlyBE and SkyWest.Airlines. With the airports it is between Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, London City and Southampton. Airline Executive of the Year 2004 offers Jerry Atkin (SkyWest Airlines), Bryan Bedford (Republic Airways), Jim French (FlyBE) and Joe Randell (Air Canada Jazz). Other awards include lifetime achievement, both airline and industry executive of the year and supplier company.

8 – 9 March 2005 – The Novotel London West Hotel & Conference Centre, Hammersmith, London http://www.shephard.co.uk/ipec-lara top