The First Word: Clear Signs Of NAFA’s Momentum At I&E

I wrote in a recent column that NAFA’s momentum is palpable and real. Last month that was evident in St. Louis during NAFA’s 2012 I&E where the buzz was not only seen in the numbers, but it was heard in the chatter taking place in the hallways, session rooms, and on the Expo floor. Here’s what I mean.

For the third straight year, our Expo was completely sold out. Even though we keep increasing the amount of space on the floor every year, it keeps selling out. In fact, at I&E I announced that our waiting list this year was nearly two dozen companies. I short-changed our sales team. The wait list was actually forty companies!

Need more proof? By the time the Expo closed on the second day, we had already sold sixty percent of next year’s Expo floor space! Last year we were ecstatic when we walked out of Charlotte with thirty percent of the St. Louis space sold and in one year’s time we’ve doubled our pre-sales. That tells me our exhibitors – and want-to-be-exhibitors – are finding real value in being at the Expo.

Also for the third straight year, we saw increased attendance at the conference sessions. This year’s growth was so good that we had numbers we haven’t seen since before the recession. In the spirit of full disclosure – and to ensure you hear the correct numbers directly from the proverbial horse’s mouth – I would like to share with you our actual attendance figures:

I&E conference attendance -- those who paid for admission to the educational sessions -- was up a tremendous 17.5 percent from last year. Of the 752 conference registrants, 532 were fleet managers and 220 were affiliates or suppliers. (Frankly, I don’t believe there’s another event on the planet that can claim to draw anywhere near five hundred fleet managers under one roof...nor one where the ratio of fleet managers to vendors is as favorable as during NAFA’s educational sessions. Thank you for giving NAFA those distinctions!)

Looking at the bigger picture, total registration – defined as all registrations in all categories, including conference, Expo-only, exhibitors, booth personnel, speakers, press, students, and guests/comps – at I&E 2012 was 2,139. This was actually a decline of 3.3 percent from last year but was due entirely to the fact that exhibitors brought fewer booth personnel this year. In 2011, there were 886 booth personnel; this year that number was 611. This was not unexpected, as travel and hotel expenses related to bringing sales personnel to I&E is a big expense for exhibitors.

In short, I’d say our numbers were great indications that we’re not alone when we say I&E is the "fleet industry event of the year!" Clearly, you think so too!

Another great sign of NAFA’s momentum at I&E was the fact that US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood recorded a personal thank you message to NAFA to accept the first-ever NAFA Safety Leadership Award. This type of recognition, where a member of the President’s Cabinet not only takes time out of his schedule to record a video but also thanks NAFA’s leaders by name, is unprecedented in NAFA’s history. This speaks volumes about NAFA’s stature and our ability to represent the fleet industry – something no other organization can do.

With all of this success, it would be easy to say we’ve reached our pinnacle or we’ve done enough. I want to assure you that we have no plans to take our foot off the pedal or accept the current rate of success as "good enough." Plans are already underway for improvements to I&E 2013.

For next year, each of the Detroit Three OEMs and the major fleet management companies will be represented on the I&E planning committee. This is something that’s never been done but should have been part of our structure all along to ensure these major players have a voice at the table. They will add tremendous value to our already well-balanced team of corporate, public service, public safety, utility, and university fleet managers who comprise the majority of the planning committee.

There is also discussion about adding a major networking event on the opening night of I&E, which will complement the overwhelmingly successful "Welcome Reception" that takes place on day two. And, because of our success, we now have the ability to budget for higher-level, more renowned keynote speakers that will attract more attendees.

NAFA’s momentum is palpable and real, and I want to thank you for that. Thank you for making NAFA so successful over the past year. Thank you for attending I&E. Thank you for exhibiting at the Expo. Thank you for sponsoring our events. Thank you for your membership. Thank you for making NAFA the recognized leader in fleet education, networking, and professionalism. Thank you for turning to NAFA for all of your fleet-related needs.

Most of all, thank you for responding so well to our outreach and telling us what you want. I love the feedback, so please keep it coming. This really is your association. My staff and I are here only to serve you and help make your business lives easier and better. If there is something you need or want from this organization that you’re not getting, please let us know. That’s the best way to keep this momentum going.

Sincerely,

NAFA Fleet Management Association
125 Village Blvd., Suite 200
Princeton, NJ 08540

Telephone: 609.720.0882 Fax: 609.452.8004