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Category: Industry News

Published: 2016, May 10

Immediate Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee Mike Fogarty (left) of Tristar Worldwide and TLPA President Dwight Kines of Transdev on Demand New York — From April 21-23, the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association (TLPA) 2016 Spring Conference & Expo delivered its intimate-setting education, networking, and exhibit hall to the nearly 350 people flocking to its Grand Hyatt New York locale. CD’s Publisher Chris Weiss was on hand for the event, as he serves on the association’s Limousine Steering Committee.

The first day of the Expo kicked off with a number of meetings, including the open meetings of both the Taxicab and Paratransit steering committees. And since no first day of an event is complete without a capstone opening ceremony, cocktails were served at an evening reception in the Expo Hall to greet attendees and offer them a sneak peek of the Expo’s many exhibits.

Members of TLPA’s Limousine Steering Committee (L to R): Rick Versace of A1A Airport & Limousine Service, Committee Co-Chair Paige Coker of Birmingham Yellow Cab, and Ira Goldstein of The Black Car Fund Friday’s general session began the event’s second day. Immediate Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee Mike Fogarty of Tristar Worldwide issued a call for nominations to the board while TLPA President Dwight Kines of Transdev on Demand delivered the TLPA Report.

Additional presenters at the general session included: TLPA President-Elect Bill Scalzi of Metro Taxi, who also spoke about TNCs and TLPA’s Taxicab Business Model Review Task Force, of which he is Committee Chair; John Boit of PR firm Melwood Global, who discussed the association’s new website and its shifting PR campaign that will focus less on attacking TNCs and more on highlighting the attributes of legally operating transportation options; and International Association of Transportation Regulators President Matt Daus of Windels Marx, who explored TNCs’ impact on everything from driver wages to underserved communities to the environment.

After lunch, TLPA’s Limousine Steering Committee met to discuss topics like its educational agenda for the year, promotions and recruiting ideas to encourage membership, and public relations initiatives. Updates about TLPA’s legislative, regulatory, and legal efforts were also key topics at the meeting.

L to R: Tarek Mallah of Karhoo, Berj Haroutunian of Vital Transportation, and CD Publisher Chris WeissThe day continued with a presentation from the Women in Transportation Committee, as well as two sets of three concurrent sessions focusing on the individual demands of the association’s taxicab, limousine, and paratransit operators.

For the final day of the Expo, attendees had the option of embarking upon one of two company tours, either Verifone or CMT Group, both of which were Bronze Sponsors for the event, before the conference was adjourned.

There will be expanded coverage of the TLPA Spring Conference & Expo in the June issue of Chauffeur Driven.

TLPA’s next event is its Mid-Year International Leadership Conference in Toronto, Ontario, July 20-23.

Visit tlpa.org for more information.

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Details

Category: Industry News

Published: 2016, May 10

New Orleans — More than 200 industry professionals went marching into the Big Easy for Chauffeur Driven’s second annual Executive Retreat. Held May 1-3 at the JW Marriot, the event was jam-packed with education, networking, and fun. Special thanks go out to our platinum sponsors Turtle Top and Tenney Group—not to mention our Gold, Silver, and Affiliate sponsors—for helping to make the Retreat a massive success. This Retreat marked the first for Chauffeur Driven’s new Director of Events Jess Pavlow, and based on the reaction of the attendees, her trial-by-fire was nothing short of a triumph.

The event began with a welcoming reception at Mardi Gras World, the warehouse home to floats from past Mardi Gras parades. Guests were encouraged to tour the facility after being treated to a Hurricane, the signature cocktail of New Orleans. Next, dinner was served at the neighboring Grand Oaks Mansion, which transported attendees from the rainy New Orleans weather into an indoor antebellum mansion and courtyard. The Gumbo Trio’s jazz provided the perfect soundtrack to the bayou atmosphere. The evening ended with a stroll along New Orleans’ most well-known way, Bourbon Street.

If the idea of education conjures up memories of clockwatching in math class, then you haven’t been to a CD workshop. Monday kicked off with a fast-paced seminar by marketing expert Steve Yastrow of Yastrow and Company. His interactive workshop, entitled Brand Harmony: Communicate a Story That Drives Business Results, was gave the packed room insight on how to better communicate your company’s mission to its target audience. Next, Matt Weber of ROAR! Internet Marketing gave a presentation called 10 Minutes to a More Profitable Website/5 Things Your Website Is Trying to Tell You, which provided an easy, jargon-free look at simple ways that operators can re-shape their digital presence for maximum effectiveness.

“Matt Weber’s presentation was a great and knowledgeable session,” said Niki Williams of Key Transporation Worldwide Services in Miami.  “It made us rethink our website tactics and development.” Kim Garner of BEST Transportation in St. Louis was similarly enthusiastic about Monday’s sessions, “This was an excellent day of learning. Every limo owner should attend next year.”

What better way to wind down after a day of work than a riverboat adventure on the Mississippi? On Monday night—after a reprieve from the heavy rains—Retreat attendees headed to NOLA’s legendary Steamboat Natchez, the last boat of its kind, for a private cruise that offered a terrific buffet dinner, gaming tables, and live music from the famed Dukes of Dixieland. After a scenic trip around the city, the group next headed to Maison on Frenchmen for some more live jazz in the city’s hottest music district.

Tuesday’s first education offering was Priced for Profit: How to Calculate and Determine if a Vehicle, Run or Even Client is Making You Money, presented by Michael Campbell of Grace Limousine and Ron Sorci of Professional Consulting Resources. This well-received session provided attendees with methods to focus on specific services and clients to assess whether they’re making, or costing, you money. Closing out the retreat’s educational component was The Termination Process: How to Protect Your Ass-ets, a workshop presented by Kristen Carroll and Christina Davis of The LMC Group. Carroll and Davis offered ways that companies can prepare and protect themselves when dealing with the always-sticky situation of firing an employee. The discussion was informative and engaging, with plenty of interaction with the audience.

There was no way that CD was going to bid New Orleans adieu without a party. After a horse-drawn carriage tour that took participants throughout the historic French Quarter and surrounding areas, the retreat’s attendees took the party to the streets—literally. After reconvening at the JW Marriott, event attendees were joined by The Jaywalkers Second Line Band for our very own parade through the neighborhood around Bourbon Street. Horns blared, drums beat, and retreat-goers were accompanied by a motorcycle police escort as revelers danced through the streets with masks and parasols bouncing in time. Where else can you get a police escort and close streets as you dance your way to a jazz club but in NOLA?

“I loved the riverboat cruise, but I think my highlight of the trip was, by far, the Second Line. That was amazing!” said Mary Beall of The Driver Provider in Phoenix, Ariz.

“The best time of all was our own Second Line to Bourbon Street followed by balcony bead-throwing—it was an AMAZING EXPERIENCE that I can’t thank you enough for,” raved Renee Ferraro of ZBest Worldwide Chauffeured Transportation in Baltimore, Md.

The parade ended at Maison Bourbon, where CD’s Crazy in the Quarter party offered guests a private room with a balcony high above the endless party on the street below.

The Retreat also gave attendees a sneak peek at two buzzworthy vehicles: Platinum Sponsor Turtle Top offered a preview of their new Turtle Top VT3 shuttle bus, while Gold Sponsor Complete Fleet Livery Sales of Union, N.J., were on hand to showcase the much-anticipated 2017 Lincoln Continental.

“From beginning to end, you put on an absolutely amazing event in New Orleans,” said Michael Callahan of Able Limousine in Hopkinton, Mass. “The seminars were great, very entertaining, and certainly kept my attention throughout. The entertainment factor was awesome and the camaraderie of the people in attendance was like nothing I have seen at any of the other events. Can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve going forward, but I am hooked.”

Rest assured, plans are in motion for the next Chauffeur Driven events. Don’t miss out on our annual Chauffeur Driven Trade Show, held October 9-12 in the nation’s capital at Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel.

Visit chauffeurdrivenshow.com for more information.

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Details

Category: Industry News

Published: 2016, May 10

Nashville — Limo U, an online training program for limo operators, has announced that it will launch its latest course, The Complete Chauffeur Recruiting Kit to End Your Staffing Struggles Once and for All, on May 12.

Chauffeur recruiting is the biggest problem limousine operators are facing today. As their current chauffeurs leave for TNCs, many operators are struggling to bring in new drivers. With this course, operators will be given all the components needed to launch a successful chauffeur recruiting initiative.

“We have done the heavy lifting by creating, deploying, and testing a chauffeur recruiting campaign with 15 limousine companies over the last year, so you don’t have to,” said Bill Faeth, founder of Limo U. “We also are providing the job description copy, images, Facebook ad targeting, and the posting locations that actually work to acquire new chauffeur applicants.”

Limo U was launched in October 2015. The step-by-step video program currently has courses on Limo Sales 101, Facebook ads, and 8 Steps to Success.

Visit limogrowth.com for more information.

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