As autumn’s approach signals the return of business as usual, you don’t have to start packing up your summer gear just yet: Instead, enjoy the best of both worlds when the 2017 Chauffeur Driven Show returns to The Sunshine State October 22-25. Many thanks to all of our sponsors for making this event possible, especially Title Sponsors Ford-Lincoln Limousine and Livery Vehicles and Grech Motors.
Our time at Orlando’s beautiful Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center is guaranteed to bring you a jam-packed show floor, nonstop networking, world-class education, and the hottest after-hours parties in the industry—and they’re all under one roof. With so much to offer, is it any wonder that our room block is filling up fast? Our group rate of $219 per night is good October 20-26.
Over the past few months, we’ve been detailing the latest information about our 2017 show as it becomes available. Now, here’s your chance to get the lowdown on everything we have in store for you in O-town, all in one comprehensive overview.
Registration
We’re currently offering our early-bird rate of $295 per person for a full show pass, available through September 15. Head to chauffeurdrivenshow.com to conveniently sign up online or to download the registration form—and while you’re there, you can revisit the highlights of last year’s show and learn more about what we have in store for you this year. We’ll be accepting online registrations until Friday, October 20; after that, you’ll need to sign up on-site at our registration booths located right in the Gaylord Palms’ Osceola Lobby, just outside many of our seminar rooms. Those booths are also where you can pick up your badges for admission to our show floor, educational sessions, breakouts, evening events, and more.
You’ll want to keep in mind that a few events require pre-registration, too. Due to popularity and limited availability, Sunday’s Operator Mentoring Program (once again sponsored by Grech Motors) and Monday’s Benchmark Breakouts (sponsored by Reston Limousine) will both require you to register ahead of time. Our show website will help you decide who among the nearly 20 mentors and which of the breakout groups are a best fit for you at these roundtable, moderated events.
Official Event App
We’ll have plenty of programs and pocket planners at our show, but you can have everything you need right at your fingertips by visiting either the Apple Store or Google Play to download the retooled CD Show app, sponsored by North Point Transportation Group. There, you can find everything from a full event schedule to a complete property map, create an itinerary and take notes during sessions, receive pop-up notifications, and connect with other show-goers. It’s like having a personal assistant, a social media platform, and a navigational tool by your side at all times.
Show Floor
Our nearly sold-out exhibit hall is the place to be! You’ll find all of the industry’s latest and greatest offerings—including vehicles, products, services, and technology—on our 120,000-square-foot show floor.
We’ll be opening the exhibit hall on Monday, October 23, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:30 pm sharp. On both Monday and Tuesday, we will host a happy hour during the last hour of each exhibit day; don’t forget to grab your drinks at 5:30 pm and 5 pm, respectively. We close out Wednesday—the final day—with show floor hours between 11 am and 2 pm.
Ford-Lincoln Limousine and Livery Vehicles will once again be hosting a kick-off champagne reception immediately after the show floor’s official opening, so be sure to arrive early to get your bubbly flute and make a toast. The OEM will also unveil its newly redesigned 2018 Lincoln Navigator and 2018 Ford Expedition at its booth Monday afternoon. And if that’s not enough, you’ll find some tasty fare being served up on the show floor, too: Enjoy some appetizers (to go with that champagne) on Monday, Titus Leasing Company is sponsoring Tuesday’s lunch, and we’ll be providing brunch to power you through Wednesday.
You won’t want to miss the education on the show floor, either. Insurance is an increasingly thorny topic for operators, and our Are You Getting the Best Possible Insurance Rates? session will help demystify everything from selecting the coverage that’s best for you to keeping your premiums in check. And whether you’re new to the big-rig game or are just keeping up with current trends, Rules of the Road: Staying on Top of Bus and Motorcoach Regulations will include DOT audit advice and scores of tips and information to ease your stress and anxiety about staying in compliance.
New for this year is the debut of our Show Bucks, which can be used like cash on the show floor for the purchase of products or services from our exhibitors. How much you get depends on when you registered. Whether you’re in the market for fleet additions or other new wares, using our Show Bucks means keeping more money in your pocket.
Education and Networking
With educational and networking opportunities practically waiting around every corner, our Orlando show is the place for you! Education Program Sponsor FASTTRAK Cloud Technologies and our incredibly dedicated Education Committee have ensured that this year will offer more of the timely, relevant, and unmatched sessions and seminars covering all the topics our audience has asked for.
You’ll learn all about retaining and hiring a diverse team, personality-testing your staff, promoting your services, maintaining your online image, delving into the bus and motorcoach world, working in the global economy, ramping up your customer service, and armoring your company against cyber-attacks. We’ll be offering our Small Operator Track again, too, and those two sessions will be bookending our show: The Impact of Industry Consolidation on Exit Strategy Planning will be held early Monday afternoon and Everybody Sells: Seizing Opportunities Through Training and Consistency Wednesday morning.
“New for this year is the debut of our Show Bucks, which can be used like cash on the show floor for the purchase of products or services from our exhibitors.”
Continue your education with our State of the Industry panel at 10:30 am Monday. We’ve tweaked the format to hear from more operators who represent a wider swath of markets and who represent companies of all sizes to paint a more complete picture of how the industry looks from all angles. Moderated by CD Publisher Chris Weiss, you’ll hear from Jason Sharenow of Broadway Elite Worldwide, Kim J. Garner of BEST Transportation, Mike Campbell of Grace Limousine, and Matthew Strack of Strack Ground as they sound off about the issues, concerns, and trends they’re seeing from their vantage points.
Be sure to make your way back to the main stage at Osceola C to hear the 2 pm Keynote Address from globally in-demand speaker, consultant, and best-selling author Mike Walsh, whose experience and wisdom are sure to benefit everyone in attendance. Walsh frequently works with disruptors, and the insight he’s gained from working with some of the 21st century’s most forward-thinking companies will surely lead to some thought-provoking conversations. Many thanks to both Grech Motors and Chosen Payments for sponsoring what promises to be an interesting presentation.
As the Chauffeur Driven Show brings together a growing international congress, you’ll have the opportunity to meet with operators hailing from all over the world. Hundreds of representatives for companies across the global will be looking to connect with you Tuesday starting at 10 am during our ever-popular International Meet & Greet, sponsored by Global Alliance, Icona Global, and Modern Car Worldwide. Directly after that, our equally as in-demand Affiliate Central Global Partner Forum (sponsored by A1A Airport & Limousine Service) at 11:45 am will put you directly in front of a room full of companies who want to organically expand their affiliate networks. This is our biggest forum yet with 70 tables already sold, so you’re practically guaranteed to find a partner in the market you’ve been needing a reliable service in.
Also returning for another year is our Women in the Industry Networking Reception. This ladies-only event is scheduled for Monday at 6:30 pm and will offer the same accelerated-networking pace as our overhauled 2016 event. This will allow you to maximize your time and make new connections with the women who keep this industry moving. Please remember to pre-register for this event.
Meetings and Association Events
With an expected attendance of nearly 2,000, our show is always a prime venue for meetings of all kinds. And we’ll have plenty of opportunities for associations and companies alike to bring together current and potential supporters.
We’ll kick things off with our revamped Association Summit at 2:30 pm Sunday. We’re bringing together the leaders of state and regional livery associations from all over the country for a conversation that will paint a complete picture of the industry’s biggest concerns and its timeliest issues, and how they’re playing out across the nation.
On Monday, fuel up with our continental breakfast sponsored by RRL Insurance and Volvo, and then meet up with four of the industry’s Florida-based associations on their home turf. The Florida Limousine, Central Florida Livery, Greater Orlando Limousine, and West Florida Limousine associations will all host a combined meeting at 8 am for their members and anyone interested in what’s happening in the Sunshine State.
The Minority Limousine Operators of America (MLOA) will host one of its limited number of yearly in-person meetings for its far-flung members and supporters to kick off Tuesday’s events. On top of exploring association and industry matters, the meeting will also showcase guest speaker Randel Holmes of Delta Airlines.
A few of the industry’s technology companies will also be hosting meetings of their own. The FASTTRAK Academy Open Group Meeting will take place from noon to 1:30 pm on Monday, while the GroundWidgets Group Meeting will meet from 12:15 to 1:45 pm. You can catch The Hudson Group and Limo Anywhere User Group meetings from 6 to 7 pm Tuesday, right before our annual charity event.
“Education Program Sponsor FASTTRAK Cloud Technologies and our incredibly dedicated Education Committee have ensured that this year will offer more of the timely, relevant, and unmatched sessions and seminars ... our audience has asked for.”
Charity Dinner & Auction
Once again sponsored by Aadvanced Limousines and benefiting WISH for OUR HEROES, our night of charity will be the capstone evening event of the show.
On Tuesday at 8:30 pm, join us for a night of big-hearted generosity as we aim to beat last year’s fundraising total of nearly $120,000. The proceeds from your bids on our silent- and live-auction items will go to assisting active-service military members, veterans, and their families who are grappling with everything from emergencies to satisfying their basic needs. WISH for OUR HEROES takes its charitable giving seriously, putting an incredible 95 percent of its donations toward granting its recipients’ wishes—and last year, the non-profit even granted one soldier’s wish right on our stage.
This event is free to attend as long as you’re a registered show-goer, and includes a full buffet dinner and plenty of chances to win some incredible, unique prizes. Everything from items like jewelry and gift baskets to event tickets of all kinds to travel packages will be on the auction block, so there’s guaranteed to be something for every interest and price point to bid on.
Nightlife
There’s no party like a CD party, and we’ve got some great nightlife planned for you! Be sure to leave room in your luggage for festive attire that’ll be right at home for two nights of themed parties.
Our first night in town will transform the Gaylord Palms’ Coquina Lawn into a tropical escape. Sponsored by Destination MCO, our outdoor Hawaiian Luau Party will do the Aloha State proud: a delicious spread fit for island royalty, plenty of Mai Tais, leis for days, and mood-setting live music.
We couldn’t help but notice how seriously this industry takes dressing up for a themed bash: Since our show is so close to a holiday that’s all about assuming disguises, get ready to go all out for Monday night’s Halloween Costume Party, which Boston Car Service will be sponsoring. We’ve got some great spirits, spooktacular food, and all the tunes you can Monster Mash to. There’s a prize for the best-dressed, so don your wildest costume and party with us ‘til the witching hours.
Tom Mazza Charity Golf Outing
Tom Mazza left a mark on the industry like no other, and we’re celebrating his legacy with a golf outing to raise money for ALS—or Lou Gehrig’s disease—which took a friend and mentor from us far too soon. The proceeds we raise from this first-time event will go directly to funding additional research into both treatments and cures for the debilitating disease.
We’ll be taking to the minutes-away Celebration Golf Club on Saturday, October 21, for a 9 am shotgun start. To register for this event, visit goo.gl/4bApfh. There are limited sponsorship opportunities still available, too.
First-Time Attendees
If this is your first time attending a CD Show, we’re happy to have you join us in sunny Florida! We’re here to help, whether you need a complete show primer or just have a few questions.
Attire is professional and businesslike during the day. Dress to impress but also for comfort: Everything IS under one roof, but you should still expect to be clocking some serious mileage on your fitness trackers. You’ll be making new connections, meeting future business partners, and most likely popping up in more photos than you’d believe, so suit up for the occasion. Just remember that it is impossible to overstate the importance of comfortable shoes. (Check out our article on page 38 for more in-depth tips on show-appropriate attire.) And while our Charity Dinner & Auction is a more serious affair, when it comes to our parties, we encourage you to let your hair down and imagination run wild.
Orlando in late October ranges from nighttime lows in the mid-60s to daytime highs in the low 80s. It’s always a good idea to dress in layers, though, even with an all-under-one-roof show minimizing your outdoors time: All that walking works up a sweat, but you may want to grab a sweater if you’re sensitive to AC.
Our registration desk will be open every day of the show: 10 am to 7 pm Sunday, 7:30 am to 7 pm Monday and Tuesday, and 8 am to 2 pm Wednesday.
Your food options are plentiful, and many are free. All the food at our parties and events (including the Charity Dinner), on the show floor, and breakfast won’t cost you an extra cent on Monday and Tuesday. But if you have a hankering for something else, the Gaylord Palms is positively packed with an array of easily accessible options. Coffee, sandwiches, steak, seafood, and a smattering of ethnic cuisine all are on the hotel’s property, so you’ll have no problem staving off hunger pains. And speaking of coffee: Don’t worry, FASTTRAK Cloud Technologies has graciously sponsored beverage services that will ensure you can get your caffeine fix.
And if you have any more questions, chauffeurdrivenshow.com has tons of information to help you out and all the latest updates to keep you in the loop, and we’ll be sending an informational e-letter out with in-depth details in the next few weeks. Of course, the CD team is always on hand to help you out and make sure you have the best show experience possible. See you in Orlando! [CD0917]