NAFA Flexes Its Global Muscle, Proving It’s A Small World After All

As I write this, I am sitting in a now-empty ballroom in a hotel in Orlando, Florida – Disney’s magic capital of the world. I’m surrounded by empty chairs, messy tables, and the buzz of the cleaning crew. It’s a bit reminiscent of the aftermath of a great New Year’s Eve party. Just a few minutes ago, this room was packed with fleet professionals on hand for NAFA’s 4th annual International Fleet Academy (IFA), and there was our own type of magic here.

NAFA’s 2014 IFA brought together 40 fleet managers and 20 fleet supplier partners to talk about the intricacies of managing multi-national fleets. What started out as an invitation-only event at the NAFA offices in 2011 has grown to an event that is sold out every year. We intentionally keep IFA small – and we intentionally control the ratio of buyer to seller -- to give fleet managers the ability to really network with other fleet managers and share experiences. The controlled, workshop-like atmosphere also created a very concentrated, exclusive event for the supplier/partners. All of this created a palpable energy that enveloped the room and inspired me.

The in-person networking and interaction was enhanced by several virtual presentations, too. Through the use of WebEx and GoToMeeting technology, we brought in speakers from not only around the US, but from Brussels, Belgium and Parma, Italy. Not only did we all learn about fleet from these global professionals, but we also got to experience firsthand how to use technology to "meet" with people all around the globe. It was extremely gratifying to see NAFA’s global footprint at work as we reached around the globe to bring education and networking to our members. Being in Disney’s backyard, we really did see that it’s a small world, after all, even though we had attendees and participants from every continent.

Here are a few tidbits I learned (most of which I shared on Twitter via @PhillipERusso) over the past few days:

Italy's CNG technology is world-class but CNG fueling stations are virtually non-existent.
There are many OEMs in EU, but in each country the local OEM is the boss (Fiat/Chrysler in Italy, BMW and VW in Germany, etc.).
Using telematics in EU is a nightmare due to strict driver privacy laws. Data sharing and the cloud right now are just dreams.
80 percent of fleet use in Europe is for personal use.
40-60 percent of savings opportunities relate to policy changes.
The African fleet market is extremely diverse and difficult, with limited suppliers.
Latin America is an immature fleet market with huge potential for growth and structure.
Australia’s land mass is equal to all of Europe but most of it is uninhabited or used for mining.

The 2014 NAFA IFA was made even more successful by the outstanding response by our supplier partners to our sponsorship program. In fact, sponsorship was so strong – well beyond anything NAFA budgeted or even imagined – that we were able to offer scholarships to fleet managers who told us they wanted to attend but were not able to due to budget constraints. This allowed NAFA to truly live up to its mission as a not-for-profit association and look first and foremost at providing valuable opportunities for fleet managers without being overly concerned with the bottomline. I want to thank the sponsors who made these scholarships possible:

AIAGA (the Italian fleet management association)
ARI
Donlen
Element
Fleet Logistics
GE Capital Fleet
LeasePlan
Mercedes Benz
Wheels
Fleet Management Weekly
International Fleet World (not in attendance)

I also want to thank the very special people who planned the IFA, secured the speakers, and made all of it possible. These volunteers deserve NAFA’s gratitude:

Janis Christensen, CAFM
Patsy Brownson, CAFM
Kate Vigneau, CAFM
Hans Damen
Peter Egan
Heidi DiAngelo
Janice Sutton
Joe Carreira
Michele Cunningham
Rob Peruzzi

Next year, we will take the next step with IFA, as we co-locate the event with our annual Institute & Expo (I&E) right back here in Orlando in April. Co-locating IFA with I&E is not only a smart business move for NAFA but, more importantly, is in response to your requests for fewer industry meetings. For several years now, I’ve heard the complaint from many, many fleet managers and supplier partners that there are just too many conferences in the industry. NAFA is doing its part to reduce your travel, expense, and time out of the office by creating a "one-stop-shop" at I&E where you can learn about fleet management best practices regardless of your industry segment (corporate, government, etc), fleet size, fleet make-up, or your personal education and networking needs. Look for details and registration information later this month from NAFA.

The cleaning crew is asking me to leave this ballroom now, so I have to wrap this up. Frankly, I’m on such a high from the 2014 IFA I may not need a plane to fly home!

Thanks to everyone involved in making NAFA’s 2014 IFA such a rousing success!

Sincerely,

Phil

P.S. You can keep up with me and NAFA events and happenings on my Twitter feed: @PhillipERusso

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