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L to R: CLA Vice President Andy Bouayad of Fox Limo, Treasurer Franci Ouzounis of White Dove Limousine, President Erica Bugbee of ExecuStar World Class Transportation, CD President Chris Weiss, Secretary Deanna Ballard of World Travel Management, and Chairman Andrew Wasmundt of Two Brothers Transportation.
On Tuesday, August 15, the Colorado Limousine Association (CLA) held a summer membership meeting at the Residence Inn Gateway Park in Aurora, Colo. With 70 members and guests in attendance, the event welcomed guest speakers from around the country, including CD President Chris Weiss.
Though the CLA hosts regular monthly meetings throughout the year, this event was special in that it was specifically designed to attract new members and those that don’t usually attend.
CD/NLA Show pass winner Sandra Matchen of Awesome Ride Service and Chris Weiss
“Earlier in the year we had some requests for a different kind of meeting, maybe have someone from the NLA or Public Utilities Commission (PUC) come out,” says CLA President Erica Bugbee of ExecuStar World Class Transportation. “We wanted to have a larger meeting so that we could get more people than just our regular attendees. We wanted to make people and conversation accessible.”
The well-attended meeting continues the upward trajectory the CLA has seen in 2023. With fewer than 10 members at the start of the year, the organization welcomed its 52nd member at the lunchtime event.
The August CLA meeting attracted 70 members and guests
“We’re starting to get people involved who weren’t interested in being part of an association. We’ve made an effort to make it a casual but welcoming environment. There’s a lot of discussion at our meetings, and we make sure to make information accessible to people,” says Bugbee.
L to R: CD President Chris Weiss with Frank Lacks and Fasel Zewde of Private First Class Transportation.
The event kicked off with introductions provided by Bugbee, as well as a short discussion of what the CLA has done historically since its founding in 1987. Matters covered included licensing, permitting, airport issues, and much more.
“When there have been battles to fight, this association has been there by hiring lobbyists and lawyers,” says Bugbee.
Following her presentation, Bugbee welcomed Weiss, who spoke about the upcoming CD/NLA Show in Orlando on October 22-25. He outlined the incredible education and networking opportunities presented at the show, and then raffled a pass to the fall event. The pass was won by first-time attendee Sandra Matchen of Awesome Ride Service.
Dave Uziel of Urban Worldwide
Next, Nate Riley and Lloyd Swint of Colorado PUC provided a slide show that covered rules being broken and things that chauffeurs and operators should watch out for. They were followed by Dave Uziel of Urban Worldwide, who provided an overview of the benefits of being an NLA member, including the association grant program that provides money to state/regional associations. Uziel also talked about the importance of being involved in local associations, providing examples from the Greater California Livery Association, which he serves as treasurer.
Nathan Spears of Southpoint Risk
Mike Blackburn of Addons/Limo Anywhere was the next presenter, providing insight on the services offered by his company, with a particular focus on features and tiers that can make things operate smoothly for small operators. He was followed by Nathan Spears of Southpoint Risk who opened himself up to questions about the current state of the insurance industry.
The meeting concluded with a networking/break-out session where attendees could visit each of the guest speakers and ask questions on specific topics.
The CLA’s next meeting is September 19 at 10 a.m. at the Tower Tap & Grill inside the DoubleTree Hotel, 6900 Tower Rd. in Denver, Colo.
Visit cololimo.org for more information.
[08.21.23]
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More than 5,200 attendees from around the world joined the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Convention 2023, which was held August 13-15 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. The three-day conference included numerous education sessions, inspirational speakers from across the hospitality and travel ecosphere, and plenty of opportunities for travel buyers and planners to connect.
In addition to sessions exploring everything from DEI initiatives in business and managing neurodivergent travelers to being a courageous leader and balancing the latest tech trends, the GBTA Convention also featured an Industry Insights on Sustainability panel with Marriott President & CEO Anthony Capuano and United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. The panel discussion dug into how their businesses are leading the way toward a greener future for travel as well as how it can be a sustainably profitable pivot for everyone involved. The Convention also glimpsed into the future with Future Today Institute CEO Amy Webb, who offered how organizations can achieve their preferred future and tackle tomorrow’s most pressing questions about work, relationships, and our way of living.
The association also shared its 2023 Business Travel Index Outlook, which was created in collaboration with Visa. The extensive annual report expects that global business travel is strong and will recover quicker than previously projected, with expectations to exceed pre-pandemic spending levels of $1.4 trillion in 2024 and grow to nearly $1.8 trillion by 2027. In 2022, global business travel spending rose 47 percent to $1.03 trillion, with strong gains continuing and 32 percent growth expected in 2023, according to the report.
The crossover in our industry has long been understood as many from luxury chauffeured transportation also attend and exhibit at the conference. This year, more than a dozen transportation companies were on the show floor, including 305 Transportation, A1A Global Ground, Carey, Dav El/BostonCoach, EmpireCLS Worldwide, Gem Worldwide, Golden Class Limousine, NYC Limousine VIP, Mundi Limos, Reston Worldwide, RMA Worldwide, SIXT, BLS, Sunny’s Limousine, and Urban Worldwide (apologies if we missed anyone!).
“As is GBTA’s mission and promise, Convention is a platform where we bring together in-person the ‘many voices’ in the industry for the ‘one purpose’ of building a better future for business travel through community, learning, and advocacy,” said GBTA CEO Suzanne Neufang. “As GBTA just revealed in our latest five-year forecast report, global business travel is expected to continue to be a resilient industry that is poised for growth while delivering value to global economies, companies and business travelers alike.”
Finally, GBTA also announced the election results, which included five newly elected Board members and other elected leadership positions who will begin to serve immediately for a two-year term.
- President: Mark Cuschieri of UBS
- Vice President: Rosemary Maloney of Alteryx
- Direct Seat, Director-At-Large: Carol Fergus of Fidelity International
- Allied Seat, Director-At-Large: Mike Daly of Serko
- Regional Director--Canada (Direct Member): Elizabeth Oliveira of OMERS
- Allied Leadership Council Chair: Tammy Routh of Marriott International
- Chapter Presidents Council (CPC) President: Ronda Dean of F5 Networks
Next year’s GBTA Convention is scheduled for July 22-24 in Atlanta. The association also has regional events planned for the remainder of 2023, including GBTA APAC Conference in Singapore (September 19-20) and the GBTA + VDR Europe Conference in Hamburg, Germany (November 14-16).
Visit gbta.org for more information.
[08.22.23]
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EBizCharge is proud to announce its new integration to 3D Secure (3DS). 3DS acts as a fraud prevention tool that provides extra data to the card-issuing banks, and when positive, the liability of fraudulent transactions shifts from the merchant to the card-issuing bank.
3DS prevents card-not-present fraud and improves eCommerce payment security for card issuers and merchants by safeguarding this data.
3DS enhances fraud protection using extra verification steps during checkout that occur in the background, with no change to merchants’ current process or consumers’ checkout experience.
EBizCharge Senior Business Relations Manager Matt Rogers
With EBizCharge’s new 3DS program, merchants can process cardholder-initiated transactions and avoid the liability of any fraudulent chargebacks. This program works for all major card brands, such as Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, etc.
“3D Secure is a game-changer for businesses that don’t do business in person. Chargebacks have been a problem forever and this is a major step in the right direction to eliminate fraudulent chargebacks,” said EBizCharge Senior Business Relations Manager Matt Rogers.
EBizCharge is heavily invested in 3DS and committed to providing merchants with the highest level of payment security. EBizCharge stays up to date on the latest 3D security technology and other payment security measures to adapt to evolving threats.
Merchants can take advantage of the new 3DS program using EBizCharge by simply opting into the program.
Visit ebizcharge.com for more information.
[08.18.23]