- Details
- Category: Industry News
L to R: Mary Thompson and Jeff Conly of Vitesse Worldwide, CD Publisher Chris Weiss, and Barry Gross and Aaron Trich of Driver Provider
Scottsdale, Ariz. — The Arizona Limousine Association (ALA) recently convened at the Talking Stick Resort & Casino for an innovative Summer Educational Summit on June 20-21. Approximately 45 members and guests attended the two-day meeting and educational retreat, including operators spanning the Copper State as well as speakers from across the country, including CD Publisher Chris Weiss. CD also served as A/V sponsor for the event.
“At our meeting in November, one of our Board members brought up the idea of doing a two-day combination seminar and seminar,” says ALA President Jeff Conly of Vitesse Worldwide. “Our business around here tends to drop in mid-June, so we had a perfect window to work in the event into our schedule.”
Day one of the summit began with a look at the state of the industry, followed by lunch courtesy of sponsor Amerifuel. Next came a presentation from Wells Fargo, which outlined the pros and cons of buying and leasing in the luxury ground transportation industry. ALA Board Member Jim Luff of Chosen Payments then offered attendees an overview of the costs and fees associated with credit card payments before a representative of Lancer Insurance spoke about the distracted driving and driver responsibility.
NLA President Gary Buffo of Pure Luxury
The day came to a close with a long-in-the-works visit from Matthew Contorelli, the director of government & legislative affairs in the Arizona governor’s office.
“We’ve been trying to get someone from the government’s office to talk to us for a long time, and they’ve managed to put us off for a few years,” says Conly. “It was huge that Mr. Contorelli came out, and he actually set us up with a meeting with the governor’s transportation coordinator in a few weeks.”
Controrelli’s appearance afforded the ALA members the opportunity to share their concerns regarding TNCs, specifically the IO model and the lack of an even playing field.
“We provided him with a number of stats showing how the TNCs have affected major companies that employ a lot of people in the state,” says Conly. “We also making a bigger push for fingerprinting and stronger background checks that don’t just rely on a driver’s name. We also want TNCs in Arizona to have commercial vehicles so police know they’re transporting people.”
The second day of the ALA Summer Summit began with a visit from NLA President Garry Buffo of Pure Luxury, who spoke about the Association’s history, the new partnership with CD, and their future plans. Next, Weiss provided an update on CD happenings with an emphasis on the coming Shows in Boston and Las Vegas. He then raffled a pass to October’s CD Show in Boston, which was won by Marcin Pecak from Melmar Limo.
ALA Board Members and attendees at their first Summer Educational Summit
Industry consultant and CD columnist Ken Lucci kicked off Friday’s educational program with a session entitled Growing Your Business.
“Ken was a referral from a few of our members who below to the Spinning Wheels peer group. His seminar was outstanding and well received by the attendees. We’re hoping to have him come back out to do a two-day sales training for chauffeurs,” raves Conly.
After a luncheon provided by sponsor Grech Motors and a short presentation by Grech’s Larry Olivarez, the ALA welcomed The LMC Group’s Kristen Carroll, who concluded the summit with The Profit Imperative, an engaging session that inspired the attendees to re-think their approach to their all-important bottom line.
“Jeff Conly and the ALA board did a wonderful job putting together meaningful and relevant content,” says Carroll. “I was honored to have the opportunity to speak with this great group of operators, and I think we’ll be seeing more and more great things from the ALA in the months and years to come.”
Conly was pleased with the attendance and the response he received from ALA members about the Summit. The association plans to make it an annual event.
“This was a well-received event. The feedback I’ve gotten from the members has all been positive. We’ll do it again next year for sure. Hopefully, we’ll be able to attract operators from out of state, and maybe make it more of a weekend getaway.”
In the meantime, the ALA’s next event is their annual casino night fundraising in November. The date has yet TBD.
Visit azlimousineassociation.com for more information.
[CD0719]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
FLA President Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine Service addresses the attendees of the June 18 meeting
Miami — It was a packed house at the Florida Limousine Association’s (FLA’s) June 18 member meeting, which saw an afternoon of both local and industry-wide education.
FLA President Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine Service is also an NLA board member, and spoke of not only the new partnership between the national association and Chauffeur Driven but also how “membership has its privileges.” Versace detailed how the “best operators belong to a local association to keep up to date with what is going on in their local markets, as well as the National Limousine Association to keep abreast of national and international industry issues and events.”
He elaborated on how belonging to an association that places a premium on safety and upholding high standards “is like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval,” signaling to passengers and peers alike that your priorities are aligned—and the perks available to members, particularly association-exclusive affiliate and farm-out work, educational opportunities, and discounts on services and goods ranging from vehicle repairs to flowers.
More locally, members of the FLA are privy to FLA-Job Trade, a free tool available through WhatsApp that helps with the likes of recovering from service failures and booking additional work. FLA members and their staff are encouraged to sign up so that a message sent to the group reaches the widest audience possible to help operators work together.
With Super Bowl 2020 coming to Miami Gardens, it’s never too late for operators to begin preparing for professional sports’ biggest event and coordinating their efforts. Applications will become available as the event gets closer; temporary license dates are yet to be determined. Applications will be open to both unlicensed and licensed Miami-Dade County limousine/PMC license holders. Licensed companies will pay $100 per vehicle and unlicensed companies will pay $100 application fee and $100 per vehicle being licensed.
Companies that are unlicensed within Miami-Dade County will need to provide proof of licensing from their regulatory division. All companies will need to provide a COI showing vehicles being licensed and a copy of chauffeurs' licenses if they do not have a Miami-Dade County chauffeur registration.
The next FLA meeting will be July 30.
Visit floridalimousine.com for more information.
[CD0719]
- Details
- Category: Industry News
Dallas, Texas — Limo Anywhere, a software solutions provider for the ground transportation industry, is excited to be hosting its inaugural Users Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas, from September 10-12, 2019. The goal of the conference is to empower Limo Anywhere customers to use the software to its fullest extent as they grow their businesses.
“With a software as comprehensive as Limo Anywhere, we frequently find many new and existing features are not utilized by our customers, which results in leaving revenue (or savings) on the table,” explains Limo Anywhere President Sean Arena. “With that in mind, we have established this exclusive opportunity for Limo Anywhere customers to dive into every facet of the platform, ensuring they unlock the full potential of the technology that helps them run their business every day.”
Limo Anywhere has long been dedicated to providing multiple training opportunities for its clients, such as videos, blog posts, articles, and trade show demonstrations. In response to client requests for more advanced and immersive training, Limo Anywhere explored the idea of a user conference, a common offering of many software companies, which would provide education at a much more affordable rate than dedicated on-site training. A survey of its nearly 5,000 customers revealed widespread demand for the conference, which Limo Anywhere aptly named Limo Anywhere Academy.
Attendees will participate in a dozen sessions taught by Limo Anywhere and The LMC Group training experts. They will go home with concrete learnings and steps they can immediately implement, such as hands-on training on advanced rate setup, which will help to maximize their profit margins. They will also have the chance to learn how to turn their website into a reservations machine, giving them an advantage over their competition by streamlining their businesses with Limo Anywhere’s booking, scheduling, dispatch, and reservation management system.
In addition to these benefits, Limo Anywhere has just announced that Scott Solombrino, former president and CEO of Dav El/BostonCoach and current executive director and COO of GBTA, will be the keynote speaker at Limo Anywhere Academy. Solombrino is a legend, having spent more than 40 years in the industry as he developed the largest privately owned ground transportation network in the world, with a fleet of 25,000 in 550 worldwide markets. With his vision and insight, Solombrino’s remarks will be invaluable to the operators in attendance.
“The industry events I attended during my years in the chauffeured car world were invaluable,” shares Solombrino. “The education, networking opportunities, and inspiration paid real dividends in my business. I’m excited to be a part of the Limo Anywhere Academy, which I know will enable Limo Anywhere’s clients to use their software to its fullest potential.”
Registration is currently open for Limo Anywhere Academy, with Early Bird Pricing set to expire June 30th.
Visit LimoAnywhereAcademy.com for more information.
[CD0719]