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We saw a ton of new faces and met numerous first-time attendees, as well as many of our industry friends from over the years. The positive feedback has been off the charts—both during and after the show. It was also the first full show managed by our Director of Events Jess Pavlow, who hit it out of the park!
There were no party-line divisions here as networking was the key component in everything we had planned from our dedicated networking events like our Affiliate Central Global Partner Forum to our perennial favorite Operator Mentoring Program to our brand-new Benchmark Breakouts, which debuted with a bevy of praise this year. Our International Meet & Greet was a packed house as was the Women in the Industry Networking Forum—revamped and vastly improved for 2016 to rave reviews. With all the new attendees and Chauffeur Driven newbies, it was nearly impossible to leave the show without some fresh connections.
"Our team at Key Transportation was elated with the results of our sponsored event, Women in the Industry Networking Reception. This year we achieved an informational session that taught outstanding methods that can be applied to all networking events. The panel of women—industry leaders—truly inspired each person in the room. We left with strong connections, new skills, and a high level of motivation," said Brenda Parker of Key Transportation.
The networking kept going into the evening with our appropriately themed parties. We celebrated our host city—on the night of the second presidential debate, no less—with our kickoff Red, White, and Blue Bash on Sunday. Monday, the room was a-glow with neon and hairstyles we should have forgotten as we revisited the Era of Excess with our Blast from the Past ‘80s party, and extended the festivities with our Lobby Bar Takeover. But Tuesday was the crowning jewel of our evening events as we raised more than $120,000 for the incredible charity, Wish for Our Heroes—our first year supporting the veterans organization—during our Charity Auction & Dinner. An unbelievable 95 percent of all money raised goes to help the families of veterans—it doesn’t get any better than that.
Also new for this year was the opening of the show floor on the first day of the show with our Sunday evening preview. “Exhibiting at the Chauffeur Driven Show in DC was by far the best investment that we have ever made since we started our company. Just in the first six days after the show we have received over 30 calls or emails from highly qualified prospects. I only wish that there was a show every month. Thank you so much for providing such an incredible forum for us to promote and grow our businesses,” said Bruno Teixiera of Limousine Expert.
The lively State of the Industry featured Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach, David Seelinger of EmpireCLS, and Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide in a debate-style presentation moderated by CD Publisher Chris Weiss. TNCs were a good portion of the debate with hopeful—and humorous—messages from each. It was followed by a thought-provoking and uplifting Keynote Address delivered by Mark C. Thompson.
Of course, our timely and targeted education is always a favorite with attendees, and this year’s program was no exception. From workshops on topics like social media strategy, company culture, leadership, and breaking into and managing the motorcoach side of business, there was something for everyone. You asked for it and we listened: We also debuted a small operator track, with sessions specifically designed with smaller fleets in mind.
“I have been in the business 29 years and have attended many shows, but this is one of my all-time favorites! I loved seeing my friends and making new ones, and I enjoyed the venue and all the awesome workshops and activities that Chauffeur Driven provided for us. I'm already looking forward to next year in Orlando,” said Sue Jarvis of Aristocat Chauffeured Services.
We’re gearing up for our 2017 events, starting with the Executive Retreat in San Francisco June 25-28 and our annual show in Orlando at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center (all under one roof!) from October 22-25.
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As the condolences rolled in, the indefatigable and larger-than-life industry leader was most fondly remembered for being a mentor (and did indeed serve as a mentor for the Chauffeur Driven Show), a genuine inspiration, and a true friend armed with a joke or three, always ready to make someone laugh.
Those who knew him well understood that he had two speeds: fast and faster. As the figurehead of ETS, the company that he founded with his brother Peter, he described his role as a “whirlwind of sales meetings, phone calls, association meetings, charitable outings, chamber of commerce appearances, and industry events,” adding that he loved every minute of it.
The company is very much a family-run business, literally and figuratively: it has included both Peter and Johnny’s children in various capacities over the years, and the affable president considered the entire ETS team his extended family.
The self-described sports junkie was a loyal fan of the Boston teams—everything from golf to boxing to hockey—and he was often seen donning the jersey of his beloved Bruins or a Patriots cap. If you were lucky enough to visit his office, nearly every wall and shelf space was covered with sports memorabilia from his favorite moments.
Greene, a contributing writer for Chauffeur Driven, wrote candidly about his 2014 motorcycle accident that left him with a broken shoulder and several fractured vertebrae, as well as nerve damage that would impair his ability to use his right arm—all while running a thriving 75-vehicle operation with his brother. The accident meant several days in the hospital, several months of rehab, numerous surgeries to help correct the nerve damage—and a lot of time on bedrest stewing in a cocktail of pain killers. Through the ordeal, it never shattered his spirit as he faced the challenges head-on with the positive attitude he always exuded.
In addition to his brothers Peter and Kevin and sister Donna, Greene is survived by his son Cory and daughters Ashley and Kelsey, and many nieces and nephews. Visiting hours are from 4 pm to 8 pm on Friday, October 28, and a Celebration of Life service will begin at 9:15 am on Saturday, October 29, both at the Keohane Funeral Home in Quincy, Mass. More details can be found here: keohane.com/services/john-m-greene.
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HALCA President Wes Hart of American Corporate Transportation kicked off the meeting, which covered topics ranging from industry-specific updates to regional goings-on.
With Super Bowl LI taking place at Houston’s NRG Stadium in February 2017, it’s never too early to begin planning event transportation and parking details, both of which were on the evening’s docket.
“The urgent thing to know is that if you’re planning to come to Houston for the Super Bowl, you’ll have to have a license for your chauffeur and a fingerprint background check, and you will have to have your vehicle permitted,” Hart said. “The licensing and permit process will take a month, and they will tow your vehicle if you’re not properly licensed.”
A new city-wide app, Arro, is set to launch in Houston, and was also a topic of conversation. Arro hails itself as offering “Your Taxi, Your Way” and aims to connect passengers with licensed taxicab operators in the city, as it has for riders in New York City, Chicago, and Boston.
Two presentations were also part of the meeting: Tarek Mallah and Gregg Haroutunian of Karhoo were both on hand to discuss how the ride comparison app has been serving a European market and is beginning to extend its reach into the U.S.; and HALCA Director Jon “Younes” Ouazdi of TransGates Limousine spoke about the already-implemented and upcoming changes to the association’s website.
With the City Mandated VFH Data Submission reports due soon, the conversation inevitably gravitated to the new requirements mandated by the revised Chapter 46 ordinance—which are presenting a challenge to Houston-area operators.
“The mandate threw a wrench in everything: You’ll lose your permit to operate if you don’t complete the forms,” Hart explained. “A lot of companies got a waiver for the past two years, but now they’re not issuing waivers after January 1. So after the end of the first quarter of 2017, you have 20 days to submit it or you lose your license. They want to know what zip codes you do pickups in, what your revenue was—a lot of competitive information. This is one of the things we want to take to City Council, and we’ve started increasing awareness of it because when April 20 comes, we don’t want so see everyone’s permits being taken away.”
HALCA’s elections will take place November 10, which is the final membership meeting of the year. The association’s holiday party is currently slated for December 11.
Visit houstonlimos.info for more information.
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