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]