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Chauffeur Driven was a sponsor for the annual GALA golf outing
Roswell, Ga. — When the Greater Atlanta Limousine Association (GALA) headed to the Country Club of Roswell August 28 for its annual charity golf tournament, more than 100 players from all across the country came along for a day of good company coming together for some friendly competition to benefit a great cause.
A total of 108 golfers comprised 27 teams and raised nearly $44,000 in the yearly fundraiser benefiting Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. It is one of the largest nonprofit children’s cancer and research centers in the world—and a favorite charity of GALA’s.
“We’ve donated more than $60,000 to Children’s Healthcare over the past few years, and they’ll be getting a nice surprise from us when we present them with the donation check at our next membership meeting,” said Golf Chair Fred Rich of CTN Global Chauffeured Transportation.
Rich said that GALA’s golf outing is now the biggest in the industry, and has attracted more than 40 sponsors accordingly. He cited Enterprise, Mercedes-Benz, Chosen Payments, Grech Motors, and Ford-Lincoln Limousine and Livery Vehicles as being among the event’s major sponsors.
In addition to doing some good, golfers had ample opportunities to win big in a various contests, as well as the auction held during the awards banquet that serves as the event’s capstone dinner. Items like airline tickets to anywhere in the U.S., hotel certificates, tickets to sporting events like Braves and Bulldogs games, and more helped stuff the charity coffers.
GALA President Jeff Greene of Greene Worldwide Transportation (left) and Treasurer/Golf Chair Fred Rich of CTN Global Chauffeured Transportation (right) present the winning team from RBM of Atlanta with their trophies
Contest winners included Hoss Oskouie of Atlantic Limousine & Transportation for Longest Drive, Mark Mayfield of RBM of Atlanta for Closest to the Pin, and Khari Dickson of Divine Chariots for Straightest Drive. A hole-in-one grand prize offered a trip to Scotland, which Rich said that went unclaimed.
“No one’s ever won the hole-in-one prize,” he said. “We have to ensure it every year because somebody’s going to win it one of these times!”
The RBM of Atlanta team ultimately came in first, with the Casey Corporate team placing second and the Chosen Payments team clinching third.
Rich said that, just as in previous years, participants raved about the golf tournament.
“First-timers said it was one of the best tournaments they’ve ever played in,” he said. “Everyone just had a ball. We had a great time and a great awards banquet—and it couldn’t have been for a better cause because, frankly, there is no better cause than the kids.”
More than 100 golfers and volunteers enjoyed an awards banquet after a day on the green
He added that Dave Winokur, the development officer at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, is a big supporter of the charity outing, and reminds golfers that their generosity is making a difference to the hundreds of young patients the center treats every year.
“Dave always speaks before the tournament, and he talks about how they treat more than 400 cancer patients a year,” Rich said. “That means that every day, they’re telling a family that their child has cancer. And it feels good to know that we’re helping them give some of those families good news.”
The next GALA meeting will be September 20, where representatives from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta will be given proceeds from the tournament.
Visit galalimo.org for more information.
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L to R: Chauffeur Driven Publisher Chris Weiss with Shawn Abaspor and Mary Thompson of Vitesse Worldwide San Diego — The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) held its 50th annual convention in San Diego from August 11-15. GBTA celebrated its 50-year history while looking ahead, as innovation and the future of business travel management were the predominant themes throughout the five-day industry gathering that brought together nearly 7,000 travel professionals and industry leaders, including Chauffeur Driven Publisher Chris Weiss.
GBTA held its first-ever Awareness 5K Run & Walk to raise awareness and funding to stop human trafficking on Sunday morning of Convention with more than 200 registered participants. GBTA continued to raise money throughout Convention, presenting a $20,000 check on Wednesday to benefit ECPAT-USA and its efforts to end child exploitation and trafficking.
L to R: Mike Cheney, Rebecca Sahlin, Tami Saccoccio, and Dawson Rutter of Commonwealth Worldwide GBTA made two key announcements during Convention including the merger of WINiT for Women into GBTA. The merger will allow GBTA to take WINiT’s mission worldwide. Members of GBTA and WINiT will benefit through access to both organization’s programs, services, and an expanded network of approximately 12,000 industry professionals. Additionally, leadership from GBTA and the Institute of Travel Management (ITM), the leading managed business travel association in the UK and Ireland, announced a joint venture that is part of a deeper, collaborative partnership between both associations kicking off with a London-based event for the managed travel and meetings sector on January 31, 2019.
GBTA Convention 2018 featured top industry leaders on Center Stage focused on business travel’s most pressing issues. As only the third person in 90 years to head the largest hotel company in the world, Marriott International President & CEO Arne Sorenson shared his outlook on the business travel industry, the shakeup over group commissions and the company’s home-sharing strategy in a one-on-one interview with GBTA Executive Director and COO Michael W. McCormick.
Scott Solombrino of Dav El/BostonCoach Dorothy Dowling, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for 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.
Transportation Security Administrator (TSA) David Pekoske and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan took the stage together for the first-time in an interview with McCormick where the two highlighted technology’s potential to dramatically increase security and passenger facilitation. On the horizon, the two agencies are also planning to better integrate the PreCheck and Global Entry programs.
Kurt Ekert, CEO of Carlson Wagonlit Travel, led a panel of experienced travel buyers in a shift from typical GBTA Convention Center Stage sessions, which often put a supplier on the hot seat. The discussion focused on the growing responsibilities for travel buyers and technology’s increasing role in travel management as buyers work to ensure duty of care responsibilities and cost-savings measures are in place, while also balancing individual traveler preferences and convenience.
L to R: Mike Pagano, Art Miesemer, Lauren Nock, and Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide Center Stage wrapped up with Guy Langford, Deloitte’s Vice Chairman, U.S. Transportation, Hospitality, & Services Leader, asking a panel of executives covering various sectors of the business travel industry if bigger really is better, prompting a discussion of advantages and disadvantages of industry consolidation. Being bigger can help companies learn, negotiate better and innovate, the panelists said, as bigger companies often have advantages in boosting investments in marketing and new technology to meet consumers’ evolving expectations. Being larger can also create disadvantages, especially when growing through acquisition as you must understand how to assimilate and integrate diverse cultures and systems.
The keynote stage at Convention Arena featured sports icon, social justice pioneer, and entrepreneur Billie Jean King; investor on ABC’s Shark Tank, chairman of O’Shares ETF Investments Financial Group, and bestselling author Kevin O’Leary; and John Walsh, victims' rights advocate and host of Discovery ID's In Pursuit with John Walsh.
L to R: Maria Mella and Liz Carisone of GroundLink and Mark Tourgeman of Royal Knights Limousine More than 170 education sessions gave travel professionals of all levels more opportunities than ever 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, and sustainability. Attendees can access all of these sessions and more with GBTA Convention 2018 On Demand.
The sold-out Expo Floor featuring more than 400 exhibitors showcasing the latest and greatest in business travel products and services. Nearly 30 companies participated in GBTA’s fourth annual media day and shared their breaking news announcements.
GBTA concluded the event with 6,755 attendees—including more than 1,350 buyers—making this the largest GBTA Convention in history and one of the largest gatherings of travel professionals in the world.
The 2019 convention will be in Chicago from August 3-7.
Visit gbta.org for more information.
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Marlton, N.J. — We’re just weeks from the biggest industry event of the fall, the Chauffeur Driven Show. Not only are we thrilled to bring the show back to the Northeast from October 6-10, and but we couldn’t be more excited to be on the banks on the Potomac at the beautiful Gaylord National Hotel and Convention Center. Conveniently located just outside of D.C., our all-under-one-roof host property is right in the heart of one of the country’s newest and hottest destinations, National Harbor.
Once again, we’re giving attendees the opportunity to take part in our Show Bucks promotion. If you’ve forgotten or are unaware of this CD-exclusive offer, you’ll receive Show Bucks upon registering that you can use exclusively on the show floor. Participating exhibitors will be accepting this CD currency like cash, and how much you have in hand depends on when you register. Each Show Bucks coupon will be in denominations of $50, $75, $100, or $150, allowing you to save cash on the latest services, products, or even vehicles. Note: Show Bucks cannot be used by or transferred to attendees other than the individual whose name is on each slip.
Speaking of our show floor, this year’s exhibit hall clocks in at nearly 110,000 square feet, virtually guaranteeing there will be something for everyone there. The show floor is where you can find the latest, most in-demand services, products, technology, and vehicles available to the industry. We’re nearly sold out, so vendors should reserve their spaces now to get in on the action.
The show floor activity kicks off with Monday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:15 p.m., which will be followed immediately by a Champagne Toast at the Ford-Lincoln Limousine and Livery Vehicles booth. The floor will be open until 7:15 p.m. on its first day, which will include a Happy Hour beginning at 6:15 p.m. Come back Tuesday from 2:15 to 6:15 p.m., and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The show floor: What a great lineup of vehicles and products! We even bought two Mercedes-Benz Sprinters from McSweeney Designs to add to our fleet,” says Barbara White of VIP Transportation Group in Orlando, Fla.
While you’re making your way through our expansive exhibit hall, be sure to check out the food and drink options included in the price of admission. A Titus Leasing-sponsored lunch will begin Tuesday’s show floor hours starting at 2:15 p.m., while a happy hour from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. will close out the day. And our final day will include a continental breakfast and brunch at 11 a.m. so you can head home well-fed.
But wait—there’s even more! Our shows are non-stop opportunities for education, and this one is no exception: Be sure to catch our two bonus show-floor sessions, starting with Getting Up to Speed With Bus Compliance at 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Creative Revenue Streams Right Under Your Nose with Alan Candeub of Park Avenue Limousine and Daniel Perez of DPV Transportation at noon on Wednesday.
If you haven’t registered yet, there is still time. Head over to chauffeurdrivenshow.com and enroll. While you’re there, be sure to pre-register for our popular Benchmark Breakouts. Scheduled for Monday, October 8, at 11:45 a.m., this event lets you brainstorm with a small group of your fellow operators who share a revenue bracket, company role, or niche along with a true understanding of your unique issues and successes. This is your opportunity to discuss ideas and explore solutions with like-minded individuals. Led by an industry moderator, Benchmark Breakouts lets you learn from your peers in the following groups:
- Less than $2M in Gross Annual Revenue
- $2-5M in Gross Annual Revenue
- Over $5M in Gross Annual Revenue
- Affiliate Managers
- Operations Managers
- International Operators
- Motorcoach Operators
Space is limited in each of the Benchmark Breakouts groups, and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t miss out.
Also, bear in mind that space at the Gaylord National is filing up fast! Make sure you mention that you’re with the Chauffeur Driven Show to get our awesomely discounted room rate of $229/night, which is good from October 3 through the end of our show in case you wanted a working vacation before getting down to business.
Visit chauffeurdrivenshow.com for more information.
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