Prior to the first keynote address for the 2014 International Fleet Academy, taking place November 5-7 in Orlando, Florida, NAFA Fleet Management Association Chief Executive Officer Phillip E. Russo, CAE noted the exponential growth of the IFA, and the challenges of maintaining the event’s fundamental purpose.
“This is our fourth year with IFA and it has grown from an invitation-only event in the meeting room at NAFA Headquarters with about fifteen fleet managers, to a ballroom-sized conference, to last year’s sold out event, right to this year’s,” Russo said.
The number of 2014 IFA attendees well-exceeded the Association’s goal, and the turn-out initially raised concerns. “Our intent has always been for the IFA to be an intimate group, keeping the ratio at around two fleet managers to every one service provider attending. Yet, the interest in the IFA was so good, we had to bump the number up. I believe we have struck that right ratio here, judging from the enthusiastic turnout for Day One of the event.”
NAFA’s IFA focuses on developing and implementing fleet policies across the globe. This three day conference is specifically designed to meet the needs of those who manage fleets outside of the United States and Canada. The IFA offers global fleet managers an opportunity to engage with each other while sharing information on a peer-to-peer level.
Russo said that a key part of IFA’s expansion, and the enthusiasm of the fleet profession that followed, came from conference sponsors who believed that they needed to be at the IFA. “We had such great interest from the sponsors to be a part of this event, and to be a part of the networking, learning, and sharing, that we were able to go out and offer scholarships to people.”
2014 International Fleet Academy sponsors include A.I.A.G.A., Italy’s largest fleet management association, as well as media sponsors Fleet Management Weekly and International Fleet World.
The following companies have graciously sponsored noted events at the 2014 IFA:
♦ ARI
♦ Donlen
♦ Element Fleet Management
♦ Fleet Logistics International
♦ GE Capital Fleet
♦ LeasePlan USA
♦ Mercedes-Benz
♦ Wheels, Inc.
Designed specifically to meet the needs of those who manage fleets outside of the United States and Canada, NAFA’s International Fleet Academy offers fleet professionals the tools to gain understanding, and the opportunity to discuss the problems and challenges they’re facing with some of the brightest minds in global fleet management.
NAFA’s International Fleet Academy helps attendees build the specialized skills needed for the expanding and changing fleet environment across diverse world markets. Attendees will leave with a standard of excellence for their dealings within and outside their organization, with customers, suppliers, and drivers among others. The conference is a “must” for companies and organizations with global fleets.
Planning is already underway for the 2015 International Fleet Academy, April 13-15, at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. Registration is scheduled to open late-November.
About NAFA Fleet Management Association
NAFA is the world’s premier non-profit association for professionals who manage fleets of sedans, public safety vehicles, trucks, and buses of all types and sizes, and a wide range of military and off-road equipment for organizations across the globe. NAFA is the association for the diverse vehicle fleet management profession regardless of organizational type, geographic location or fleet composition. NAFA’s Full and Associate Members are responsible for the specification, acquisition, maintenance and repair, fueling, risk management, and remarketing of more than 3.5 million vehicles including in excess of 1.1 million trucks of which 350 thousand are medium- and heavy-duty trucks. For more information visit http://www.nafa.org.
