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The team at New York-based Imperial Limo Worldwide recently marked the company’s anniversary in style: by touring the city they normally chauffeur their clients through. The entire team climbed into the company’s sedans, SUV, and Sprinter this past month for a roadshow-like evening celebration that was part team meeting, part tourism, and all fun. Founded in 2014 by CEO Mohammed Aminuzzaman, Imperial was celebrating its eighth anniversary in the Big Apple.
They stopped at several places, including for a tour of the Intrepid Sea and Air & Space Museum and dinner, but the group also enjoyed discussions on ways to continually improve their interactions with clients or other worthy additions to their roster of services. The lively banter, especially since this would be the last time in a year where everyone would be under the same roof, honed in on two points of discussion: nationwide expansion of services and plans/goals for the new year, which included analytics of the company’s annual progress.
The night, however, wasn’t entirely about talking shop. During dinner, everybody cheered, raised a toast to the company's successful year, and enjoyed getting to know their co-workers. But the executives had one more surprise for the team: enjoying the nightlife of New York City. Those who were up for a little more adventure post-midnight roamed the city via the company’s fleet. After all, NYC is the city that never sleeps.
Based in Manhattan, Imperial offers transportation throughout the metro area, as well as cities including Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles. It’s fleet ranges from late-model sedans and SUVs to exotic luxury vehicles and minicoaches.
Visit ilimoww.com for more information.
[12.27.22]
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Move over, Starbucks: The Illinois Limousine and Bus Association (ILLBA) has returned with another Coffee With ILLBA webinar. On Tuesday, December 20, the association held another installment of their free educational programming, which attracted operators from around the country. This time, ILLBA welcomed guest speaker Maren Graham of MJGraham Visual Solutions for a session entitled 5 Marketing Resolutions for 2023.
Before Graham took center stage, the webinar kicked off with an impromptu discussion of the impending extreme winter weather that is scheduled to affect much of the country over the Christmas weekend. Several operators who were logged into the meeting reported that they have seen numerous cancellations due to the “bomb cyclone” that is going to hit the Midwest days before the insanely busy travel weekend. ILLBA Executive Director Paula DeBiasi of Chicago Coachworks followed with a bit of housekeeping, including a brief recap of the recent ILLBA Year End Breakfast Get Together. The event, held December 4, attracted roughly 20 members including several new members.
Next, the situation at O’Hare airport was discussed, and the association is trying to set up a meeting with airport officials to get updates. Currently Terminal 5 is in a state of “chaos” with no parking for limousine operators and passenger pickup times that are exceeding 30-45 minutes.
Graham’s session offered a 5-point approach to digital marketing via your company website. Point number one, Put Yourself in Your Customer’s Shoes, emphasized the importance of keeping up to date on your website’s speed, content, engagement, and credibility, while number 2, focused on the EEAT principal (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness). Next, Graham implored operators to prepare for Google Analytics 4, so they can effectively and efficiently manage the reach and effectiveness of their website. Point four—Make It Accessible—is designed to protect business owners from lawsuits due to websites not being accessible to disabled users. The final point, Automate & Communicate, touched upon using chat bots and messaging apps to give your website a 24-7 level of engagement.
For those who wish to get the full content from Graham’s session, the webinar is posted on ILLBA’s YouTube channel.
Visit illba.org for more information.
[12.27.22]
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The National Limousine Association (NLA) is heading back to Washington, D.C., this April 25-26 for its annual Day on the Hill. According to the current schedule, educational sessions will take place on April 25 followed by Hill visits on April 26.
“Our last Day on the Hill event in September was a great success and we are looking for even more members to get involved in 2023,” said NLA President Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide in his weekly President’s Notes. “You may have heard from other members how unique and valuable this event is to our association, our industry, and our businesses. If you have never attended Day on the Hill, I strongly encourage you to speak with others who have and consider joining us in April.”
Hotel registration will be forthcoming as the event nears, and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact Kyle Hammerschmidt at kyleh@limo.org for more information.
The association is also lauding the recent passage of Sami’s Law, a bill passed by the House that would implement a number of enhanced safety measures for ride-share passengers, including a comprehensive study conducted by the Government Accountability Office of the incidence of assault, quality of background checks of drivers and the steps already being taken by ride-hail companies. It was introduced in the House by N.J. Congressman Chris Smith after the death of Samantha Josephson, who was killed by an imposter ride-share driver, and now heads to the Senate.
“The NLA is pleased to see this critical piece of legislation pass through The House,” said Alexander. “As the voice of the chauffeured transportation industry for nearly four decades, we are firmly committed to upholding universal safety standards and best practices for all companies that employ drivers for private transportation. It is our belief that all for-hire transportation providers, including ride-hailing services, perform under the same basic guidelines to ensure the safety of their passengers. We urge the Senate to act quickly to ensure this crucial legislation becomes law.”
The NLA also recently launched a Holiday Travel Promise safety pledge to continue its legacy of promoting safety throughout the industry. A major tenet of the pledge is to safeguard both passengers and drivers by calling attention to the basic responsibilities of service providers.
Visit limo.org for more information.
[12.20.22]