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- Category: Industry News
The Greater California Livery Association (GCLA) was focused on looking ahead with its Spring Forward Conference held on February 22 at the Grand Event Center in Long Beach, Calif. Attended by nearly 100 industry veterans and industry newbies, the one-day event was designed to be both informative and fun.
The morning kicked off with an upgraded continental breakfast and networking exchange as operators from all corners of the state ascended to Long Beach for the annual meeting. GCLA President Robert Gaskill of Motev opened the event laying out the goals and objectives of the association for the coming year. Dave Uziel of Urban Worldwide, who is also a National Limousine Association board director, followed Gaskill with a national update of what is going on at the federal level. GCLA Executive Director Sara Richardson held a comprehensive State of the Industry address, which defined the buying trends for ground transportation this year. She also presented research on operational costs, including driver pay in the state.
One of the hottest topics—electric vehicles—was discussed in detail by a panel representing both the automakers and operators who are already steeped in electric fleets. The session featured a virtual presentation of a pre-production Cadillac, which was beamed into the conference so the audience could have a live guided tour of an all-electric 2023 luxury vehicle.
The meeting concluded with the always-popular afternoon roundtable groups, which offer GCLA members some face-to-face personalized education.
The next large event for the association is its 2022 Expo, which is scheduled for September 6-7 in Los Angeles.
Visit gcla.org for more information.
[03.01.22]
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- Category: Industry News
ABC Companies, a provider of motorcoach, transit, shuttle, and electric passenger transport vehicles in the US and Canada, promoted fleet diversification at last week’s UMA Expo 2022 in Long Beach, Calif. Joining the company’s flagship Van Hool CX45 model, a new Turtle Top shuttle option—the Terra Transit medium-duty shuttle bus—was featured on the show floor.
2022 Van Hool CX45 motorcoach
“We are attuned to the changing demands of passenger transport and operator needs, especially in the current environment,” said ABC President/Chief Commercial Officer Roman Cornell. “We think that versatility is today’s game changer and we’ve added new OEM categories, like minibuses and more to the ABC portfolio to help owners be proactive in diversifying their business model. Knowing the needs of our customers means we focused on adding brands like Turtle Top and others, who provide superior products and support in their categories. Whether they need a full-size coach, smaller coach model, transit vehicles, or shuttle cutaways, we’re ready to help them make any size passenger move.”
ABC’s booth at UMA Expo 2022
Cornell says that fleet diversification is key to ABC’s growth strategy, which is reflected in its current lineup. With passenger configurations for 12-81 passengers, ABC’s offerings from OEM category leaders offers choices that support large group moves, provide alternatives for smaller groups, and address emerging trends for micro-transit and alternative mobility.
“We’re seeing a lot of creativity in how operators are running their fleets today,” said Cornell. “We’ve positioned our portfolio and moreover, our entire platform of support services to help them be flexible and thrive. Though our expanded services, a broader equipment offering, and decades of expertise, we can help owners capitalize on the changing face of ground transportation.”
2022 Van Hool CX45 features and amenities:
- Soft touch and textured finishes throughout driver’s area and passenger cabin
- Modular passenger entry with downlit accent lighting and brushed metal finishes
- Low-profile parcel rack end cap design
- Maximized footprint side entry restroom w/inset design elements and frosted window
- Driver’s area has an integrated low-profile ELD mounting point; cup holders, 12V outlet, and USB port
- Digital dash integrating high visibility driver alerts; output for speed, tach, pressure, temp readings and much more; touchscreen REI entertainment system featuring HDMI-E A/V and Bluetooth connectivity
- New to 2022—IMMI V4S Smartwheel Tritouch Steering Wheel: Bringing dashboard controls to the driver’s fingertips the V4S Smartwheel adds a new level of functionality via integrated center control pod; 27-function driver facing buttons and four 2-sided paddles; customer-specific graphics; LIN-based to work with CAN-based vehicles
Turtle Top Terra Transit Shuttle features and amenities:
- Availability on Ford or Chevy chassis
- 29” or 36” front door entry
- Large A-pillar window
- Available in flat and lowered floor
- Flexible seating options up to 34 passengers
- Variety of floor plans integrating storage, seating preference, and wheelchair accessibility (front or rear lift location)
Visit abc-companies.com for more information.
[02.28.22]
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- Category: Industry News
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has published its Winter Meetings Outlook, a future-focused quarterly report that identifies new trends and innovations within the meeting and event space. The goal of the publication, according to the association, allows planners to budget and plan accordingly and ensures a strong foundation for building sound strategies that keep businesses on paths to success.
A balancing market reveals signs of positive things to come—such as growing budgets and anticipated live attendance—however, complications such as the shifting desires of humans emerging from various degrees of societal lockdown as well as a lack of qualified staff/applicants in many meeting and hospitality roles continue to challenge industry professionals.
- The “great resignation” has also had an impact on the meeting and event industry, with 60 percent of respondents indicating difficulty finding suitable staff—which is more than double the percentage of respondents who said the same last summer.
- 82 percent of respondents project favorable business conditions over the next year, back up to the level seen in the spring 2021 survey.
- More than 50 percent of respondents currently or soon plan on requiring proof of vaccination for staff, contractors, and in-person event participants.
- The percentage of respondents anticipating favorable live attendance over the next 12 months is at 75 percent, almost matching the all-time high seen in the summer 2021 survey.
MPI Academy Vice President Jessie States
“Following an Omicron-fueled dip in positive projections last quarter, our most recent Meetings Outlook demonstrates positive indicators in a number of areas including increasing optimism in projected in-person attendance and budget," said MPI Academy Vice President Jessie States. “Fewer meeting professionals are expecting increases in digital or virtual attendance (down 41 percent since this time last year). Unpredictability continues to impact the buyer-seller balance in the marketplace. The biggest challenge continues to be employment, with 37.5 percent of organizations reporting that they are hiring full-time staff and 60 percent saying they are having problems filling roles. The implications of this are steep for an industry anticipating recovery—and an MPI focus this year will be helping organizations create and cultivate workplace cultures that attract and retain critical staff.”
Meetings Outlook presents future industry trends and predictions from MPI members. Research is conducted in house using the Qualtrics survey platform. The research is conducted quarterly and provides current business conditions and future outlooks.
Meetings Outlook is developed in partnership with IMEX Group. The full report can be found here.
Visit mpi.org for more information.
[02.28.22]