Magazine serving the bus and rail transit & motorcoach operations since 1904
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Jim McCann said it is imperative to estab- lish marketing and media objectives before choosing an advertising platform that works best for your business. Once these items are addressed, McCann added it is important the quality of your ad includes the Four I's: Im- pact, Immediacy, Image and Ingenuity. As for platforms, McCann said it is best to select the medium that best suits your goals and f ts within your budget limitations. Some in the crowd discussed their own advertis- ing successes, including f nding television to be "cheaper than you think" and partnering with other stakeholders that share the same goals or want to send a similar message. To capitalize on that advertising cam- paign, the "Converting Price Shoppers to Value Buyers" session gave a quick review of the charter sales process from the greeting to asking for and closing the sale, before mov- ing on to an exercise that could help opera- tors boost business. T e exercise, moderated by Peter Shelbo of Tour West America and Gladys Gillis of Starline Luxury Coaches, asked the crowd to f rst come up with a feature of their com- pany, and then, identify the benefit of that feature and how it equates to having value for the customer. "If you do this exercise at your opera- tion and you are able to just close one extra sale per day, your business will go up 10%, which is substantial for any business," ex- plained Gillis. Other session topics covered over three days included public/private partnerships, safety management, website optimization and managing fuel costs. SHOW FLOOR HIGHLIGHTS Of cials from ABC Companies and New (Shown left to right) MCI showcased its new J4500; attendees fl ood the show fl oor on opening day; the 2014 Setra S 417; and ABC and New Flyer of cials Jon Savitz, Roman Cornell and Paul Smith signed an exclusive distribution agreement at the event. How has the partnership with NTA paid off? It is a partnership that really has a lot of potential that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of. It starts here at this show, which is wonderful because we put together the entire business cycle — we have companies that insure trips; finance vehicles; and purchase, manufacture or charter the equipment, as well as hotels and restaurants. The common denominator is we all have the same customer and want to deliver a high quality experience. By working together, we all realize that everybody has a role to play in that process, and I think there is a lot more we can all do together. Vic Parra United Motorcoach Association Washington, D.C. How much does all the talk of federal legislation and regulation impact your business? There is both a positive and negative impact. You have to keep up to date with all the rules and regulations because they are constantly changing. For example, driver logs will be required as of 2016, so now is the time to start pushing that, which is one reason we are here — to shop for electronic logs. It does impact our bottom line, ultimately, but it also makes the business safer. Sometimes, with things such as electronic logs, it can also make things easier on operations because there is less paperwork and it is easier to manage. Eddie Serrano Empire Coach Line Orlando, Fla. How big of an issue is Hours of Service in the motorcoach industry? It's a big issue because it leads to driver fatigue, which leads to the type of incidents that end up on the six o'clock news. It is something that has to be important to everybody in the industry because it is imperative we don't allow fatigued driving. We as an industry really must follow Hours of Service rules, because if we do not and we continue to have issues, we will face legislation that will make it harder for everybody. Robin Slabe Annett Bus Lines Sebring, Fla. 33 APRIL 2014 m ETRO m AGAZINE > HEARD IN THE AISLES Flyer were on hand to sign an agreement on the show f oor, making ABC the exclu- sive distributor of New Flyer's MiDi and Xcelsior transit bus models to U.S. private bus and shuttle operators. Under the terms of the agreement, ABC will market, sell and provide aftersales service for New Flyer's MiDi mid-sized and Xcelsior heavy-duty buses through its established service locations and se- lect independent dealerships. All New Flyer products purchased through ABC's Specialty Vehicle Division, headed by Roman Cornell, will be fully supported by New Flyer's industry-lead- ing warranty, genuine spare parts and lifetime customer care programs. "This is a great opportunity for New Flyer to respond to private customer de- mand and expand our market reach in the United States," said Paul Smith, New Flyer executive VP, sales and marketing. ABC also showcased its new CX and TX models, which feature more stan- dard features, including daytime run- ning lights, back-up cameras, three-point seat belts, and tire pressure monitoring and fire suppression systems. In addi- tion, ABC recently signed a manufactur- ing agreement with Alexander Dennis Ltd. Inc. to assemble the Enviro500 and the 40-, 45- and 60-foot Enviro400, low- f oor, double-decker buses and also fea- tured Ameritrans' Executive Shuttle on the show f oor. D u r i n g a m e d i a s e s s i o n , M o t o r Coach In dustries' (MCI) E xecutive VP, sales and marketing, Patrick Scul- ly discussed the motorcoach industry's growth in sales — 22% from 2011 to 2012 — and the company's success with its M E T R O 0 4 1 4 _ U M A . i n d d 3 3 METRO0414_UMA.indd 33 3 / 1 8 / 1 4 1 : 1 8 P M 3/18/14 1:18 PM