This year's NPTC Education Management Conference and Exhibition, held in Atlanta, GA, May 2-4, ranks as one of the finest annual meetings of the Council in many years. The event drew the largest number of attendees in five years, and a record number participated in 29 education seminars. Space in the Exhibition Hall was sold out two weeks prior to the show.
The result was a dynamic combination of education, business networking, award and recognition presentations, inspirational guest speakers, and a showcase of successful practitioners in the private fleet trucking culture. Testimonials from attendees tell much of the story:
-
“This was my first year as an attendee, and our second year as an exhibitor. Your organization [NPTC], vendor recognition, presentations, and the general culture of the attendees is simply the best. We…were able to meet the best and brightest in the industry, as well as participate in great conversations after the exhibit hall was closed. We look forward to next year's show in Pittsburgh….”
-
“A special thanks again…to all on the NPTC Team for this year's awesome Annual Conference in Atlanta. In addition to accomplishing numerous business related objectives, many existing and new friendships transpired during our Team's Conference attendance…a great bonus!”
-
“I have been coming to NPTC Conferences for 15 years and this one is by far the best. We had some 200 people stop by our booth!”
-
“It was a terrific show…we are very happy. Congratulations on a great event; thanks for making it happen.”
-
“Thanks for all you did to make this conference the best and most productive that I have attended. It was well managed and the content of the break-out sessions was better than ever. I was proud to be a member.”
-
“Once again…the Conference committee should be congratulated on an outstanding event. I found this year's conference the best I have attended with NPTC and better than other organization's … in several years.”
-
“The Conference was very informative…it's great to attend a conference as a Transportation Safety Veteran and take back new and fresh ideas along with bench-marking data.”
Of the 29 education seminars, five covered the new hours-of-service regulations. Other topics included on-board technology; back-hauling; selling the private fleet to upper management; safety best-practices; reducing insurance exposure; driver recruitment; 3PLs; leasing/outsourcing options; maintenance strategies; and CTP orientation.
The overall test for NPTC 2004 attendees is the return-on-investment standard. Fleet managers took home many new cost-saving ideas or improved ways of running a fleet, the combined value of which greatly exceeded the cost of participation. For the vast number of Allied Members, the number of new account prospects and the repeat exposure to existing accounts well exceeded the cost justification for participation.
A key factor in the success of the Conference is the detailed work of the Conference Planning Committee chaired by Deb Stone, CTP, of McKee Foods. Nearly two-dozen Fleet and Allied members plan the program, all from the prospective of the end user — the attendee.
Plan to attend the NPTC 2005 Annual Conference, April 24-26, in Pittsburgh, PA. If you haven't attended an NPTC event in recent years, discover for yourself why this one gets rave reviews.
Gary Petty is President and CEO of the National Private Truck Council. The council's web site is www.nptc.org. His column appears monthly in FLEET OWNER.
