The First Word: Your Input Leads to Major Enhancements for I&E 2013
Your Input Leads to Major Enhancements for I&E 2013
On the heels of two consecutive years of phenomenal success with our annual Institute & Expo (I&E), NAFA’s leaders recently approved major enhancements for the event next year in Atlantic City...and it’s all because of your input and direction!
Immediately following the I&E in St. Louis this year, NAFA polled attendees and asked them what they liked, didn’t like, and what they would have changed to make things better. We also asked non-attendees why they didn’t come to St. Louis and how we could overcome those barriers. These polls included both fleet managers and vendors, including a separate survey of just exhibitors to find out how we could improve their experience and return on investment.
Based on the information collected, I formulated several recommendations for improving I&E 2013. In May, I asked the I&E Steering Board and NAFA’s Corporate Fleet Advisory Council to give me feedback on those ideas; many individuals offered upgrades and alternatives. I incorporated those thoughts into a revised plan and in early June presented final recommendations to the entire NAFA Board of Governors. I am pleased to say that all of the recommendations – which were based on your feedback and input – have been approved for implementation for I&E 2013. Here are highlights of the improvements for 2013:
Opening Night Awards Party
For several years, I&E has not had an opening night reception, which seems odd. Welcome receptions are a staple in the meetings and conventions industry and are pretty much expected by attendees.
Awards are another staple at industry conventions, and I&E is no different. This year, NAFA presented more than a dozen awards in five categories. (We also hosted the annual "Fleet Manager of the Year Award" and "Fleet Executive of the Year Award" presented by Bobit Business Media.) Unfortunately, we presented these awards on different days, in different settings, and each with varying sizes of audiences in attendance. This hurts NAFA in terms of exposure and does not provide the recipients their due recognition.
Beginning next year, NAFA will solve both the reception and awards issues by having an "Opening Night Awards Party." (Remember, next year’s I&E starts on Tuesday, April 23, and ends on Friday, April 26.)
The Awards Party will be Tuesday, April 23, in the Grand Ballroom of the Taj Mahal Hotel, after the education sessions end at the Atlantic City Convention Center. The NAFA President will open the awards presentations. Then, similar to how the Oscars are presented, the NAFA Senior Vice President, followed by each of the Vice Presidents, will introduce the winners of the remaining NAFA awards. Bobit Business Media has been invited to present their two awards to close out the event.
After the final award is presented, the party begins. There will be a reception of appetizers, pasta stations, and carving stations, as well as an open bar, where everyone can relax, network, and enjoy the atmosphere. To round out the evening, NAFA will provide a real taste of New Jersey with a live show by one of the state’s most popular homegrown bands. It is sure to be a party to remember!
Admission to the awards ceremony will be open to everyone at no additional cost. Admission to the reception and concert will be included in the conference registration packages, or individuals may purchase Reception/Concert tickets for a fee (to be determined). To help offset expenses, NAFA will, of course, seek sponsorship for this event.
Daily Keynotes
I&E 2013 will have four keynote speakers, one each morning. This will provide strong kickoff points for each day and give reason for fleet managers to attend and come to the convention center each day. The I&E Curriculum Committee just last week selected four broad topic areas on which the keynotes will speak. I, along with NAFA’s Affiliates Committee, will make recommendations to the I&E Steering Board and hope to have keynote speakers selected by the end of August.
Revised Meal Plans
This year, we offered fleet managers the ability to not only choose the number of days they wanted to be at I&E (4, 2, or 1) but also whether they wanted meals included with their registration fees. Based on the purchasing patterns, attendance figures, and post-I&E input, I asked members if we could eliminate the full breakfasts every morning and go to a "heavy continental" fare for everyone. The response was an overwhelming "yes" vote.
So, in 2013, instead of a hot breakfast of eggs, pancakes, waffles, etc., in a separate room available only to those with meal tickets, NAFA will provide bagels, muffins, breakfast breads, yogurts, coffee, and tea to everyone who has a ticket to enter the opening General Session/Keynote Address. (This will include anyone registered for the conference for that day, as well as any exhibitors who get conference registrations included with their booth fee; see below for exhibitor details). Continental breakfast will be available for thirty minutes prior to the start of the general sessions and the cost will be included in the registration fees.
With the elimination of the awards at the general sessions (see above), the general sessions can start at more reasonable hours. This likely means that most attendees will have been awake for several hours before coming to the convention center and will probably have eaten breakfast on their own beforehand. The "heavy continental" fare will certainly be substantial enough for those who have not eaten, however.
The 4-, 2-, and 1-day registration packages, each with a "lunches/no lunches" option, will still be available. Concessions will also still be available in the convention center for those purchasing the "no lunches" option.
Meals for Exhibitors
After analyzing the results of the exhibitor survey, it is clear that exhibitors prefer to have meal tickets with their booths rather than two all-access conference passes, as they received this year. Few exhibitors took advantage of the ability to attend the conference sessions this year but many expressed dismay at having to pay $45 for a buffet lunch in the Expo. (BTW – NAFA makes no money on the meal tickets; we charge what the convention center charges us; we agree with you that their meal prices are high, that’s why we make concession stands available throughout the exhibit hall.)
For 2013, each 10x10 booth payment will include two full conference registrations, including lunch tickets and admission to the General Session breakfasts, for Thursday and Friday only, when the Expo is open.
Thank you for giving me and NAFA such clear direction about what you want from I&E. I am pleased that we are able to respond to your needs and deliver what you’ve asked for. I fully expect that we will exceed all of your expectations so that we can continue our phenomenal success!
I would love to hear your thoughts. Please email me or contact me through LinkedIn (search "Phillip Russo"). If you’d like to be the first to hear about NAFA news, as well as get a peek at a more personal side of me, follow me on Twitter (@PhillipERusso).
Sincerely,
prusso@nafa.org
P.S. More thanks and congratulations to the great team that is the I&E Curriculum Planning Committee. We met in Philadelphia last weekend to set the agenda for next year’s I&E and, as usual, they had outstanding results. Led by Steve Saltzgiver, Director of Fleet Operations – North America for Coca Cola, the thirty-six fleet professionals worked long and hard to draft one of our strongest programs ever. You will be pleased!
I&E Curriculum Chair Steve Saltzgiver (left) led the group through the long night of brainstorming and planning sessions. Naturally, we were fueled by Coca Cola products!
The Curriculum Committee includes representatives from city, county, state, and federal fleets in the US and Canada. Here, (l to r) Bob Stanton, Joe Werb, Paul Koch, and Doug Weichman review more than sixty session ideas submitted by Members and Affiliates.
Corporate fleet managers made up half of the Curriculum Committee in Philadelphia last week, working to ensure that their specific needs are addressed at I&E 2013. John Dmochowsky (left) and Kevin Fisher helped lead these discussions.
Ensuring NAFA has input and direction from our major supporters, every fleet management company and OEM are represented on the Curriculum Committee. Here Mark Klein (second from left), Chair of NAFA’s national Affiliates Committee, leads the conversation with Joe McDonald from Wheels (left), Barry Steel from Donlen, and Michele Cunningham from PHH.
