The First Word With Phil Russo

Although this column is dubbed "The First Word," this month I am offering the final word on I&E 2011...and that word is "Tremendous!"

On all accounts, from all stakeholder groups, I&E 2011 received outstanding reviews (don't get me wrong, the event was not perfect and not everyone was one hundred percent satisfied, but more on that later). Here are the final facts and figures that prove the success of this year's event:

The number of fleet professionals who paid to go to the educational sessions was 723. That total is up 44 percent from last year, and 19 percent from 2009. Fleet managers let us know that "education" and "networking" were their top two reasons for attending.

Looking just at the number of fleet professionals at the educational sessions, I&E 2011 was more than double the size of other fleet events on the market. Talk about valuable networking opportunities!
Two-thirds (67 percent) of the conference attendees were corporate fleet managers and 23 percent were public service, with some involvement with safety vehicles (police, fire, ambulance, etc.). NAFA truly is diverse; there's not another function in the world that brings together so many people from such divergent segments.

Conference registration revenue exceeded budget by approximately $90,000. That's going to go a long way to help NAFA provide more and better services to you, our Members and Affiliates, and keep your dues low.
All told, I&E 2011 had 2,294 people in attendance. This includes all conference registrants, speakers, fleet managers who came for free to visit the Expo, and vendor personnel at the Expo. That total is up 17 percent from last year, up 38 percent from 2009, and up 12 percent from 2008. We are heading in the right direction!
The exhibit hall was completely sold out with more than 250 exhibitors. Their total square footage of exhibit space increased 28 percent from 2010. Not only do more companies want to be at the Expo, but they're bringing really slick, professional displays!
Sponsorship revenue exceeded budget by 25 percent. This is the first time ever that our sponsor program hit the quarter-million dollar mark.
On day one of the Expo, one exhibitor told me he had more than 200 new leads, 80 of which he had already qualified as "ready to purchase" in the next 60-90 days.
By the close of day two of the Expo, half of the 2012 Expo floor had already been sold to exhibitors who couldn't wait to come back for another taste of success.

As I alluded to previously, it's impossible to make everyone happy all the time, especially with nearly 2,300 people at I&E, and each with their own set of expectations and desires. That's why I invited a representative group of Members and exhibitors to the Headquarters office on February 23, 2011 – prior to I&E. The group provided feedback that day, and helped serve as extra sets of eyes and ears during I&E to gather more information. As planning begins for next year's I&E, the Curriculum and Arrangements Committees will take the information from this group, and consider the ideas that were brought to the table to enhance even further the value each stakeholder derives from I&E. These ideas include:

Creative registration pricing structures that include daily passes, free admission to the Expo, and the ability to opt out of meal functions.
Virtual attendance, allowing members to stay at home or work and view single sessions.
More networking opportunities at coffee breaks and social events.
The ability to schedule appointments in advance with exhibitors while on the Expo floor.
Use of an "app" to access the I&E schedule, floorplan, list of exhibitors, and speaker handouts.

If you have ideas for improving I&E 2012, please share them with me. Or, if you would like to suggest a topic for our educational tracks, please be sure to submit them via our "Call for Presentations," which you can access on our website.

I want to thank everyone involved in making I&E 2011 such a tremendous success! It is my pledge to continue to build on this success and momentum and make I&E 2012 even better.

Sincerely,

P.S. The link to all session handouts is still available online to all conference attendees. Be sure to check out our selection of I&E photos on the NAFA Facebook page!