The First Word: What's The Buzz? NAFA In NASCAR Country!

Print this Article | Send to Colleague

What's The Buzz? 
NAFA in NASCAR Territory!

In my 20+ years at NAFA, I don't recall ever experiencing as much buzz about one of our conferences as the one coming up in Charlotte next month. 

If you didn't catch the news last week, the Expo is completely sold out. Every inch of exhibit space is taken by more than 250 exhibitors. Companies are stacked a dozen high on our waiting list to get space. These companies are onto something: that this I&E is going to be an all-out, blow out success and they want to be there.

Fleet manager attendance is up more than 30 percent from last year. It's on track to reach numbers we haven't seen since 2007, when the economy was going strong and there were few travel restrictions.

Sure, being in the heart of NASCAR world helps. So does having legendary football coach and NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs as a Keynote Speaker, but it's more than that.

Veteran corporate fleet managers I speak with are saying they are attending specifically because of the track of advanced sessions we've planned just for them. Sessions on global fleet management, FASB regulations, managing mergers, and changing driver behavior, to name just a few, will help them deal with today's real-life fleet issues. 

New and not-so-veteran fleet managers are attending for the introductory- and intermediate-level sessions that will help clear the fog for them and put them on the way to a long, successful career in fleet.

Public safety fleet managers are coming for the hands-on "Roadeo" and one-on-one conversations with their suppliers.

Fleet managers looking to earn their certification from NAFA are attending the "boot camp" sessions for crash courses just before their exams.

Government fleet managers are coming to learn about fleet consolidations, how to handle the added workload and cost generated by stretching lifecycles, and related shop operations.

And everyone is coming to network. This is a small industry, relatively speaking, and the way to get business done is by getting to know the players. And there's no other place where more fleet managers and suppliers will be in greater numbers than I&E. 

There are a few "must have" things in life. Water, food, some form of shelter all come to mind.  Acquiring those "must have" items takes some form of money. Well, if you make your money in the fleet world – either by managing a fleet or selling something to fleet managers – you need to add one more thing to your "must have" list: attendance at NAFA's I&E next month in Charlotte.

Everyone who is anyone in this industry will be there. How about you?