Sunday Education Seminars
8:00 am - 9:30 am
Coffee Talk: Alf Nucifora
Sponsored By: Theatre Direct/Broadway.com
This must-attend session engages both Suppliers and Operators in spirited discussions and cross-sharing of trends, practices, needs and opportunities. Under Alf’s leadership, this session is guaranteed to be both entertaining and educational. Whether you have years of industry experience or you are a first-time attendee, you will gain valuable insight from this high-energy dialogue.
8:00 am - 9:30 am
Protect Your Business Panel Discussion: Robert M. Burke, Gregory D. Conforti, Dallas D. Jones and David Losee
As a motorcoach owner and operator your business is only as safe as your least capable employee. The regulatory and legal environment in which we operate place many duties on a motorcoach operator, your failure to comply with even one such constraint can be fatal to your business. Join other motorcoach operators as we take a wide-ranging look at these requirements and how you can meet them. This seminar will cover drug and alcohol testing procedures, the hours of service requirements in the United States and Canada, workmen’s compensation, and the ever-changing security environment.
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
ALFA Panel: Confronting Complex Employment Legal Challenges: A 2007 Overview for the ABA Industry: George D. Fagan and Ronald G. Polly, Jr. and Michael W. Hawkins
Few business challenges are as daunting as the myriad of complex employment issues that our industry confronts on a daily basis. The key to successfully heading off these challenges is preparation and knowledge. Leading employment attorneys from the ALFA International legal network will present on some of the key areas that our industry deals with, on the bottom line or in the courtroom. This informative panel presentation will deal with interviewing and screening processes, background checks, hiring, disciplining and termination. Legal concerns surrounding document creation, retention and destruction along with electronic discovery will also be covered. This panel will provide you with an opportunity to learn where the "legal rubber hits the employment road.
Sponsored By: ALFA International
Operator Roundtable: Alf Nucifora
Sponsored By: Theatre Direct/Broadway.com
This seminar is for Operators to come share business tips, advice, anecdotes and war stories. Not only will you take away “best practices” information acquired from the “best of breed” in the Operator business, you can network with Operators who face similar challenges and opportunities. Moderated by nationally syndicated marketing columnist and consultant, Alf Nucifora, the Operator Roundtable zeros in on the issues that are of singular importance to Operators and provides unique insights as viewed through the Operators’ eyes.
Your Script to STARdom Orientation Seminar: First Time Delegates
Whether you are a first-time STAR delegate or a Marketplace veteran, this workshop will help you prepare for an exciting and valuable Marketplace week. Marketplace leaders willingly share their expertise and insights and help you discover the “ins and outs” of Marketplace. Discover the secrets to preparing yourself for the Marketplace business floor and ABA’s uniquely different Marketplace. Don’t miss this dynamic session!
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
Putting Boomers on the Buses: Alf Nucifora
Sponsored By: Theatre Direct/Broadway.com
We all know who the Boomers are, but what do we know about their travel perspective? Learn what the research tells us about how they think, what their needs, desires, and aspirations are. This seminar will show you how to interpret the research and speak to the Boomers in a way that will get them on the bus. We must gain a better understanding of what amenities and services they are demanding in order to “package” the travel experience in a way that satisfies them. If this is an audience you are seeking, you won’t want to miss this informational session that provides definite answers to the Boomer conundrum.
Operational Costs and Profitibility for the Bus Industry: Jay Thompson
Session HandoutsThis seminar will offer an overview of how the industry categorizes equipment operational costs, along with some actual norms for metrics of these groupings. We will also assess the major issues and the net effect on profitability. For tour businesses, we will look at operational numbers exclusive of the entertainment piece. We will offer some numbers from the bus industry, from other segments in the transportation industry and compare them to ones in the trucking industry.
Your Script to STARdom Orientation Seminar: First Time Delegates
Whether you are a first-time STAR delegate or a Marketplace veteran, this workshop will help you prepare for an exciting and valuable Marketplace week. Marketplace leaders willingly share their expertise and insights and help you discover the “ins and outs” of Marketplace. Discover the secrets to preparing yourself for the Marketplace business floor and ABA’s uniquely different Marketplace. Don’t miss this dynamic session!
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The Dollars and Sense of Motorcoach Travel : John Dunham
Join the ABA Foundation and Guerrilla Economics for a greater understanding of the Economic Impact that the Motorcoach Industry can have on your city, state or region. This research and industry knowledge can offer your CVB the opportunity to break down your tourism revenue stream including hotel, restaurant, shopping and average dollars spent per rider. John Dunham, President of Guerrilla Economics, will present past studies and answer questions on what can be accomplished to match your needs. Make the most of the motorcoach industry and the benefits it brings to your location.
Addressing Fuel issues in the Bus Industry: Jay Thompson
Session HandoutsThis session offers an overview of the current issues revolving around ethanol, Biodiesel and Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel - including the current pricing and logistics issues. We will debate the pros and cons of each with respect to handling and engine supplier recommendations. We will look at 2007 diesel engines versus older ones and things to look out for with both. We then will cover the relationship between crude and pump price and how the various segments of the industry calculates and attempts to collect fuel surcharges.
Tour Operator Meeting Panel Discussion
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