Mike Antich: The Affiliates Committee, Both This Year And The Next
The mission of the Affiliates Committee is to promote the interests of Affiliates. We want you to get the most out of your NAFA membership. With this in mind, the NAFA Affiliates Committee has launched many initiatives to promote the interests of all NAFA Affiliates, especially in regards to the upcoming I&E April 8-11, 2014, in Minneapolis. In particular, the Affiliates Committee is working with NAFA to attract more fleet managers to the Expo floor.
A new initiative for the 2014 I&E is promoting increased networking In the Expo Hall. The second day of the Expo will feature a "Happy Hour" during the last hour of the show, with complimentary beer and wine, prize drawings, and other attractions.
In addition, NAFA will continue to offer Expo attendees Web-based tools to help them be more effective on the show floor. One successful tool is a custom mobile app that allows attendees to plan their visits to exhibitors within the expo hall.
All of these initiatives are designed to help Affiliates develop new business relationships and to strengthen existing partnerships on the I&E floor by gaining new clients and prospects for your business.
An ongoing initiative by the Affiliates Committee involves setting up conference calls with all Affiliate chairs at each NAFA Chapter to discuss ways the national Affiliates Committee can better assist them. This is in keeping with the mission of the Affiliates Committee, which is to represent the interests and concerns of Affiliates to NAFA and support the mission and goals of the Association. We use these teleconferences to provide a "voice" for all Affiliates, who are in a leadership position at NAFA.
Another recent improvement the Affiliates Committee helped spearhead is the ability of companies, with multiple Affiliates and Regional members, to bundle their combined membership fees into a single payment.
We’re here to help Affiliates. Let us know if there are any issues, topics, or potential initiatives you would like the Affiliates Committee to discuss.
In closing, the Affiliates Committee would like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving holiday!
Mike Antich is the Editor and Associate Publisher for Automotive Fleet magazine.
