Thank You For Making I&E So Successful

NAFA's 2011 Institute & Expo was an amazingly successful show and I want to thank everyone who played a part in it.

To the fleet managers who registered for the sessions and Expo, thank you for making I&E such a rich learning and networking environment. I heard over and over again from fleet managers that this NAFA conference topped any other they'd attended. I agree. In my 20-plus years at NAFA, I don't recall ever experiencing as much buzz about one of our conferences as I did this year. With attendance up more than 20 percent from last year, I believe we hit a home run!

To the exhibitors who sold out the Expo, thank you for bringing compelling information and services and adding to the learning environment while making the show floor a fun time! NAFA depends on the Expo not only for sustenance of the I&E, but for the resources it provides the membership and Association for the remainder of the year. Thank you for helping NAFA in so many ways!

To our Institute sponsors and media sponsors, thank you for supporting the conference and its varied events, thereby allowing a more dynamic experience for all in attendance.

To the Curriculum Committee members, thank you for developing outstanding session topics with tremendous speakers. Your foresight in developing a track for veteran corporate fleet managers was a huge hit, and most other sessions I attended were jam packed. In fact, the leasing company executive panel had more than 235 people in the room – that's more attendance in one room than some other conferences get in their entirety!

To the Arrangements Committee, thank you for the warm and gracious hospitality. You and all of Charlotte were fantastic hosts and hostesses, and I for one can't wait to come back to the Queen City! (A special shout out to Committee Chair Debi McClendon for stepping up and singing both the U.S. and Canadian national anthems a cappella! What a great surprise!)

To the Public Safety Group members, thank you for another fantastic day at the Roadeo, testing vehicles and learning first-hand. And thank you for inviting other I&E attendees to join in and see the latest in safety and law enforcement vehicles.

To our students and their sponsors, thank you for helping out at I&E and contributing to the lifeblood of the Association. By volunteering, you have given all fleet professionals in attendance the chance to share our expertise and watch the future of our industry grow, learn, and take shape.

To all the Board members and volunteers who "talked up" I&E, thank you for being our grassroots "street team" and getting the word out. Your personal stories and willingness to reach out go far beyond any marketing we can do and I appreciate your efforts!

And, to the amazing staff team at NAFA Headquarters and all the service providers behind the scenes, thank you for going all out for I&E! It's awesome to see everyone pulling together and seeing the results of your hard work. I am very thankful and grateful for each of you!

In short: thanks to everyone for making NAFA's 2011 I&E superlative!

Sincerely,

P.S. I was especially thrilled when Mike Antich, Editor of Automotive Fleet magazine, told me this was the best NAFA conference he'd ever attended. He said the only problem was that there was so much good content he couldn't decide which session to attend because he wanted to go to all of them! Thank you, Mike, I appreciate the kind words...and I hope to create a similar problem next year!

NAFA Fleet Management Association
125 Village Blvd., Suite 200
Princeton, NJ 08540

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004