Fresh off one of the most successful conferences in recent memory, NAFA Fleet Management Association is bringing its annual Institute & Expo to Minneapolis, MN, one of the hottest travel destinations in the United States. The annual conference, which takes place April 8-11, 2014, brings fleet professionals from throughout the United States and Canada together for 4 days of networking, education, and an expo floor that features more than 250 exhibitors with the latest products and services in the industry. Online registration is now open, and fleet professionals can get incredible discounts through special early-bird registration rates from now until December 31, 2013.
“Minneapolis is having a moment,” said Travel+Leisure Features Director Nilou Motamed on NBC’s Today Show when she included Minneapolis as the only U.S. destination on the world’s best list of 13 hot travel destinations in 2013. Accolades for the City didn’t end there. In fact, Minneapolis was ranked highly on 133 different travel destination lists including those from Lonely Planet, Forbes, bon appetite, Food & Wine, CNN, Frommer’s, and Yahoo. Readers of Travel+Leisure ranked Minneapolis high in such areas as Best Airports (#1), Cleanest Cities (#1), America’s Greenest Cities (#3), and Best Cities (#5). Forbes named it America’s Safest City; Sherman’s Travel listed it as its second best Family Travel Destination to watch in 2013, Lonely Planet picked Minneapolis Saint Paul as its eighth top U.S. travel destination in 2013, and Yahoo! Travel even named Minneapolis as an Unexpectedly Romantic U.S. City!
“NAFA is excited to bring our annual conference to Minneapolis,” said NAFA’s Executive Director Phillip E. Russo, CAE. “The City is easy to get to from anywhere in North America with flights from most of the United States currently available for under $300. In fact, Sun Country Airlines, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, offers great rates in places like New York, California, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, and Washington, D.C., and Arizona.”
Some of the highlights for 2014 include the return of the Fleet Excellence Awards Opening Night Party which was a tremendous success last year; new networking opportunities including a “Happy Hour” scheduled for the final hour of the Expo Floor with complimentary beer and wine, prize drawings, and other attractions; an Alt-Fuels Drive Experience at the GE Test Track (limited availability, advance registration required); prominent Keynote Presentations by two international bestselling authors and leadership experts (Simon Sinek and Peter Sheahan); an opening day Chapter Recognition Luncheon; and the continuation of the Tuesday through Friday pattern that worked so well in 2013.
“There’s always a lot going on during the I&E, but the focus remains on providing the best educational program available,” said Russo. “This year’s program addresses the critical issues facing fleet managers today and the issues they’ll likely face in the future. The conference contains over 60 hours of educational sessions geared towards cost-savings, safety, technology, and professional development.”
Early-bird registration is just $499 for NAFA/NCSFA Members or Affiliates; $569 for NAFA/NCSFA Corporate Colleagues; and $779 for Non-Member Fleet Managers or Service Providers. In addition to the complete 4-day all access pass (which includes 4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, daily coffee/refreshment breaks, awards party, and expo reception), fleet managers may also register for 1 and 2 day all access packages and can attend one day of the expo for free. The early-bird rates end on December 31, 2013.
For more information on the conference or to register online visit http://www.nafainstitute.org. Companies interested in exhibiting can find complete exhibitor information at http://www.nafaexpo.org.
