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Ste. Claire, Quebec — Prevost commemorated their 95th anniversary in June with a celebration at their headquarters that included food, live music, and other entertainment; coaches to explore; and tours of the Prevost manufacturing plant.
Founded in Quebec in 1924 by cabinet and wooden bus builder Eugene Prevost, the company is the oldest coach manufacturer in North America.
Scores of special guests including past and present employees, government officials, and people from the community attended. The extensive vehicle display at the celebration featured current Prevost model coaches, including the newly redesigned X3-45 motorcoach, a converted motorhome, and a corporate coach as well as a mobile service van and a beautiful 1952 Prevost Citadin antique bus restored by the Heritage Society of Sainte-Claire.
“The 95th Anniversary celebration in Quebec was a huge success as we had more than 4500 people joining us at the factory,” said Prevost General Manager Francois Tremblay. “I’m honored that so many families and special guests were there to celebrate with their Prevost family. We take great pride in what we do and to be able to share 95 years of such strong heritage with our community was a very special experience for us.”
Visit www.prevostcar.com for more information.
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Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada — Parsons & Sons Transportation, a charter operator serving scenic eastern Canada, has added a new Motor Coach Industries (MCI) 2019 J4500 coach to their fleet.
Based in Conception Bay South, N.L., Parsons & Sons serves the most easterly province of Canada where tourists enjoy the region’s glacial fjords, waterfalls, cliffs, national parks, and the capital city of St. Johns. The area’s townships and schools also rely on Parsons for group excursions and athletic events beyond their community.
After Parsons took delivery of their newest J4500 from the MCI Sales and Service Center in Montreal, they put the coach into service immediately. President Scott Parsons said he knew he made a successful purchase.
“I like the legroom, the interior design, the lower, more modern driver dash, even the way the sun visor works – it’s a beautiful coach,” said Parsons. “Our drivers are lining up to take it on a trip.”
The model’s performance and MCI service support are additional factors contributing to Parsons’ confidence in the purchase. Operating a mixed fleet of 15 coaches, which also includes a 2006, 2007, and 2016 J4500s, Parsons likes how the J4500 sticks to the road, especially in blustery conditions. The region is Canada’s windiest with wind gusts exceeding 80 mph during serious storms late last year.
The new swing-out style electric e-fan cooling package and a clean-diesel Cummins engine on their newest J4500 are also appreciated for fuel the savings compared to the operator’s older coaches, noted Parsons, the second generation to lead the family firm founded by his father, Richard, in 1962.
MCI’s field support is provided by MCI Technical Solutions Manager Remi Levesque, who is responsible for the region. Onsite service support is provided at the MCI Service Center in Montreal. Parsons also takes advantage of fast NFI Parks service and rests easy knowing 24/7 MCI roadside assistance is always available.
“Our motto is safety, service and reliability, and the new J4500 and MCI support helps us deliver on that promise to our customers,” Parsons says.
Visit parsonsbus.ca for more information.
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Chicago — The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of the global business travel industry, wrapped up its 51st annual Convention this week in Chicago. Technology and the future of business travel management were the predominant themes throughout the five-day industry gathering that brought together more than 7,000 travel professionals and industry leaders. CD Publisher Chris Weiss and numerous representatives from the luxury ground transportation were among them.
GBTA held its second annual Awareness 5K Run & Walk to raise awareness and funding to stop human trafficking on Sunday morning of Convention with more than 500 registered participants. Proceeds totaled $20,000 and will benefit ECPAT-USA and its efforts to end child exploitation and trafficking.
GBTA Convention 2019 featured top industry leaders on Center Stage focused on business travel's most pressing issues. United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz and President and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corporation Mark Hoplamazian joined newly elected GBTA President Bhart Sarin of Ingredion Incorporated on stage to discuss customer experience, loyalty and recruiting and retaining top talent in today's competitive world. Both CEOs agreed that as things are constantly evolving that the focus must always remain on customer needs.
Cvent CEO Reggie Aggarwal led a lively and insightful panel focusing on disruptive technology. The panelists discussed what circumstances promote a need for new technology, and how organizations are using solution-based technology to approach various business challenges. Aggarwal concluded by saying that being innovative is a matter of survival.
The ABCs of NDC panel kicked off Tuesday talking one of the hottest topics in the business travel industry today. Various stakeholders discussed NDC's impact today and in the future.
Dorothy Dowling of Best Western Hotels led a session of top female business travel executives sharing their insights on the unique challenges they faced as women arriving in leadership positions within their companies. Although their personal leadership journeys differed, their advice for women in the business travel industry coalesced around a few core themes: taking risks, thriving through failure, and talking the talk.
Center Stage wrapped up with a panel discussing how travel and meetings management continues to integrate across the various travel channels. Panelists shared best practices, lessons they learned along the way, and their insights.
The keynote stage at Convention Arena featured Jon Taffer, Hospitality Expert and Host of Paramount Network's Bar Rescue; Bob Costas, award-winning sportscaster, broadcaster and best-selling author; Andy Cohen, host and executive producer of Bravo's Watch What Happens Live; and Ashley Judd, actress, activist and social justice humanitarian. Monday's keynote also featured a one-on-one interview with GBTA's new COO and Executive Director Scott Solombrino and The Boeing Company's CEO Dennis Muilenburg. Muilenburg told the packed room that Boeing is working on software updates to the 737 Max jet planes. He also discussed training and the importance of engaging employees.
More than 170 education sessions gave travel professionals of all levels more opportunities than ever before for education to help them advance their careers and improve their travel programs. Topics covered top travel industry issues including duty of care, technology and innovation, procurement, sustainability, and more. Attendees can access all of these sessions with GBTA Convention 2019 On Demand.
The sold-out Expo Floor featuring more than 400 exhibitors showcased the latest and greatest in business travel products and services including the exciting Innovation Row. GBTA held its Innovation Series Finale with Sleepbox taking home the title. Innovation Row returned for its third year featuring mostly first-time exhibitors who are looking to become the business travel industry's most impactful innovators. Nearly 30 companies, including SAP Concur, Sabre, Fox World Travel, Southwest Airlines, RoomIt by CWT and more, also participated in GBTA's fifth annual media day sharing their breaking news announcements.
GBTA concluded the event with more than 7,175 attendees, including more than 1,400 buyers, making this the largest GBTA Convention in history and one of the largest gatherings of travel professionals in the world. Next year's Convention will be in Denver, Colo., from July 25-29, 2020.
Visit gbta.org for more information.
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