NAFA Affiliate Dennis Christina: Affiliates Moving Forward

Greetings from the Affiliates Committee!

The Affiliates Committee met at the recent NAFA Board of Governors meeting held in L.A. on January 25-26, 2013. The meeting covered two important areas: the upcoming I&E and conference call Webinar with the Chapter Affiliates Committee Chairs.

The I&E is being held in Atlantic City, NJ April 23 -26, 2013. The Trump Taj Mahal is the host Hotel and the co-host hotel is the Sheraton located across the street from the Atlantic City Convention Center. Rooms at the Taj are $99.00 per night. These are going fast, so book your room soon. NAFA is also providing Shuttle service from the Philadelphia airport for $25.00 round trip. The schedule is available online and there are Shuttle sponsorships available.

The I&E begins on a Tuesday this year and will feature many other changes. In addition to the Affiliates Networking reception, a NAFA Welcome Reception has been added to kick off the Conference. This will include a reception/awards party and be followed by a concert featuring Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. And of course there will be a variety of educational sessions to choose from as well as the Expo full of exhibits, cars, Green Zone, food, and networking. We hope to see you there as this will truly be the Fleet Event of the Year!

The Chapter Affiliates Committee Chair project was started during 2012. There were two conference calls held and the last one showed the interest is increasing. There were twelve Chapter Affiliates Committee Chairs on the call. This call also included a Webinar so the callers could actually view a presentation. There was a good exchange of information, and everyone had an opportunity to comment. As these calls continue, we hope to have more attendees and continue to expand the sharing of information between the Chapter Affiliates and the Affiliates Committee.

Looking ahead for 2013, in addition to helping in planning the 2014 I&E, the Affiliates Committee will be working on three primary issues. Please consider volunteering or offering your ideas and suggestions to help us succeed in making improvements in these areas, and to increase the value of Affiliates within NAFA.

The I&E Expo - How can we make it better? What do Exhibitors need to ensure a successful event? What do NAFA Members need to keep them at the event and visiting exhibitors?
We need a Chapter Affiliates Committee Chair in each Chapter. This person will serve as a liaison between Chapter Affiliates and the Affiliates Committee. The Chapter Affiliates Committee Chairs will facilitate efforts and projects being worked on by the Affiliate Committee. They will also coordinate ideas and suggestions for the Affiliates Committee to work on at future meetings, thereby becoming an extension of the committee through participation in conference calls.
The Affiliates will become more involved with the Educational Development Committee. The EDC works on developing new manuals and guides to assist NAFA Members and Affiliates in performing their duties and doing their jobs. An Affiliate may have expertise that will assist in developing these guides and their contributions are needed. Meetings are held on conference calls and many of the projects involve revising outdated manuals.

As you can see we have a busy year ahead of us and we can use all the help we can get. Please consider assisting in one of these areas, you won’t be alone, there are always many others working on the same project. This will also benefit you as you become more involved in NAFA. You will meet new people and become more known as well as promoting your company and your business, and you will have a lot of fun.

NAFA Affiliate Dennis Christina is Vice Chair of the Affiliates Committee and BusinessLink Commercial Manager of Telegraph Dodge Chrylser Jeep, Inc.

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

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004