NAFA CEO Phil Russo, CAE: It’s All About You

NAFA has always been all about you. In 1957, when this association was formed and granted its tax-exempt status as an educational association, the reason for its being was to serve the needs of fleet managers. The very definition of an association is, "A group of people who voluntarily come together to solve common problems, meet common needs, and accomplish goals." That makes us different than for-profit entities that, by definition, are focused on making money for the owners and stockholders.

That focus on you – and the knowledge that the bottom line isn’t always the deciding factor – is what I love about NAFA. The NAFA Board of Trustees – who are fleet professionals just like you – is entirely focused on doing what is best for you and what is best for this profession. That is why you see us continually developing new programs, revising and updating existing services, and abandoning obsolete offerings.

One of the best examples of this is the 2015 Institute & Expo (I&E), our big, annual conference, where we once again listened to your suggestions about how we could improve the event. (Many of you lovingly refer to the I&E as "NAFA," as in the question, "Are you going to NAFA this year?" I love that we have earned that place of honor with so many of you that simply referring to the event as "NAFA" has real meaning to you!)

When we meet in Orlando April 14-17, 2015, you can expect a new daily schedule of events featuring the Expo in the morning, immediately after the Keynote Addresses on Days 2 and 3. The Keynote Addresses will take place directly adjacent to the Expo floor, and you will enter and exit the Keynote Address through the Expo on Days 2 and 3. Food and beverage stations will be available throughout the Expo, rather than in one or two large "food court" areas. The Expo will be followed by blocks of concurrent sessions each afternoon. This new schedule not only optimizes classroom time, but increases networking time and enhances the Expo experience for everyone, delivering exactly what you asked for.

Another change to I&E is the inclusion of NAFA’s International Fleet Academy (IFA) in the I&E schedule. Since 2011, NAFA has been conducting a stand-alone conference focusing on international fleet management. These events have been very well received and successful. However, over the past year, both fleet managers and suppliers have told us there are just too many conferences in the industry and that it is increasingly difficult to attend and/or support multiple events. NAFA responded to this by co-locating IFA with I&E so that you don’t have to seek additional funding or time out of the office to attend a second conference. Now, registering for IFA gains you admission to both the IFA and I&E!

You can also expect spot-on, valuable education and training at I&E, which is nothing new but worth repeating. Every year, more than three dozen fleet professionals develop the agenda of I&E session topics, create the course oultines and "deliverables," and find the expert speakers. They base this on the needs you express to NAFA throughout the year, as well as on their own critical issues in front of them now and in the coming months. In short, you can rest assured that I&E is all about you because professionals just like you built it!

I am also very proud of the muscle NAFA is able to flex at I&E with its Keynote Speakers. This year, we are bringing you a Top 20 TED Speaker, Shawn Achor, which in and of itself is a worth the registration fee. But we also deliver knockout punches by bringing you exclusive conversations with the heaviest hitters in the industry:

On Wednesday, April 15, you can pose questions to the top fleet executives from FCA (formerly Chrysler), Ford, GM, and Toyota – the four top fleet OEM suppliers in North America.
On Thursday, April 16, you’ll get an exclusive insider look at legislation that impacts fleet from administrators at the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Only NAFA has the clout to bring all of these agencies together on the same stage!
On Friday, April 17, executives from the leading fleet management companies discuss what they see coming in the near future with regard to such important topics as procurement, sourcing, inventory, sustainability, and global expansion in this fleet managers-only session. Who else but NAFA can bring this to you?

I encourage you to attend I&E and IFA this year, because it’s all for you and all about you. Nobody knows you like NAFA knows you, because you are NAFA and we ARE you!

Check out the full I&E agenda at www.nafainstitute.org or the full IFA agenda at www.nafafleetacademy.org.

Sincerely,

Phil

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