L to R: CD Publisher Chris Weiss with Mary Lee-Stevenson, Ryan McTiernan, Michael Hegedus, Stephen Friedberg, and Jeffrey Schmidt of Lancer Insurance
Nashville, Tenn. — Nearly 2,000 members of the bus and motorcoach industry flocked to Nashville from January 19-23 for United Motorcoach Association (UMA) Motorcoach EXPO 2020, including CD Publisher Chris Weiss, Business Development Manager Jeff Rafkin, and tons of familiar faces from the luxury side of chauffeured ground transportation.
Bob Crescenzo of Lancer Insurance (left) and Charles Tenney of The Tenney Group
Dave Dickson, chair of UMA’s meetings committee for the past six years and owner of Elite Coach in Ephrata, Pa., considers the Nashville location a win in itself. The EXPO is an awkward fit for many cities, he said, because it requires a great deal of exhibition space to accommodate 40 full-size buses but also a comparatively smaller room block. Additionally, the UMA meetings committee always wants to choose a location that is fun for families and spouses to visit and that can offer a varied menu of dining and entertainment options, explained Dickson—which is why Nashville, with its incredible music and dining scenes, had been on his radar for years.
L to R: Hoss Oskouie of Atlantic Limousine & Transportation and AJ Thurber and Brian O’Neill of Grech Motors
Meanwhile, the EXPO itself focused on the big picture of business ownership, sustainability, and succession, which framed many of the education topics.
“We’re in a period in the industry that in its evolution, a lot of first-, second- and third-generation owners are deciding they have an asset to sell instead of expecting to hand the company to a new generation. Rollups and mergers and acquisitions are happening a lot now, and now company owners are wondering, ‘How do I build an asset to sell [to a competitor or investor] rather than build a job for myself?’” said UMA President and CEO Stacy Tetschner.
L to R: CD Publisher Chris Weiss with Arthur, Kathy, and Drew Messina of Create-A-Card
Tetschner added that steering by business longevity instead of short-term concerns changes attendees’ perspectives on every aspect of the show, from investing in technology to making the most of UMA’s new alliance with the LinkedIn learning platform for multidimensional training. When return on investment is measured in years, not miles, company owners adopt different priorities.
Treating staff right, particularly driving teams, is a perennial theme for the convention, which is why UMA staff brought in Eric Chester as the EXPO’s keynote speaker. Chester is a trainer, best-selling author, in-demand speaker, and an expert on employee engagement and workplace culture whose latest book, Fully Staffed, will likely hit the bullseye for operators looking for new ways to recruit, train, and keep drivers. And a new minicoach pavilion will roll out a new on-ramp for aspiring company owners, especially those introduced to the industry by driving for on-demand platforms.
L to R: Michael Denny of MCI, Paul Thompson of Santa Fe Valet, Diane Forgy of Overland Chauffeured Services, and Brent Maitland, Lynn Marzullo, and Tony Pederson of MCI
Education also came from a variety of individuals who are familiar to attendees of Chauffeur Driven Shows, including longtime presenters and frequent CD magazine contributors Andi Gray of Strategy Leaders and Bob Crescenzo of Lancer Insurance, as well as a newer addition to both the CD educational presenter and writer, Ken Lucci.
L to R: Ibro Torlo and Kevin Duff of Signature Transportation Group, David Uziel of UrbanBCN Worldwide, and Barry Gross of The Driver Provider
The EXPO is an annual opportunity to “celebrate people who are doing really well,” said Tetschner. “If we’re here to grow a bigger, better, smarter industry, this is where we come together on the issues everyone is invested in.”
Check out the March issue of CD for expanded post-show coverage and tons of photos from UMA Motorcoach EXPO 2020.
UMA Motorcoach EXPO 2021 will take place March 3-7 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.
Visit motorcoachexpo.com or uma.org for more information.
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