On June 16, the Illinois Limousine & Bus Association (ILLBA) held their latest Coffee With ILLBA webinar. The association has had this educational program in place since the earliest days of the pandemic, bringing together operators from the Midwest and beyond. This month’s focus was Global Affiliate Activity, featuring a panel of three noted operators from Europe.
ILLBA Executive Director Paula DeBiasi of Chicago Coachworks said that this remains one of the most popular topics of the webinar series.
“Many operators are familiar, but not totally aware, with the opportunities that are out there to work with other businesses from across the globe to service their clients,” said DeBiasi.
ILLBA Executive Director Paula DeBiasi of Chicago Coachworks
She then introduced the panelists on the Zoom session, including Kamel Benmissoum of Black Road Limo in Paris, Sasa Krstic of Limos4 in Zurich, and Myles Flood of LFW Worldwide in Dubin. Also present were Yazmin Zafar, Reza Shahbazi, and Amir Zafar from GNet.
The first topic raised by DeBiasi dealt with the effective use of marketing and sales. Flood said that “upselling” at the point of reservation is their most effective method for securing bookings in destination cities. However, Krstic added that Limos4 has a dedicated sales team to handle their marketing, etc. Benmissoum recommended working directly with hotels to get work from travelling clients.
DeBiasi then shifted the conversation to managing consistent service levels with international affiliates. Flood stated that attending industry trade shows allows him to build relationships with other operators and gain familiarity with their companies. He added that the “hidden” side of these relationships is technology. Krstic stressed the importance of communication with affiliates, stating that you can never over communicate. He used the analogy that he wants his trips to be like Coca-Cola in that they “taste” the same in every city. Adding to the topic, Benmissoum advised that operators be flexible in their dealings with affiliates.
When discussing the biggest challenges in servicing international affiliates, all three panelists mentioned dealing with the various time zones. Flood re-emphasized the need for quality communication, particularly to avoid no-shows when a flight arrives a day after the departure. Benmissoum believes that it’s essential for operators to be 24/7 businesses, particularly with around-the-world clients. He also said that vehicle types can be a challenge as many of his clients expect a Mercedes E-Class in every city. Krstic added that having chauffeurs that speak good English can be difficult in some global markets, citing Istanbul as one area where it is very unlikely to have an English-speaking professional chauffeur.
The next point of discussion was the cost of fuel, particularly with the instability seen in the Middle East. Interestingly, none of the operators on the panel have raised their rates or instituted a surcharge, citing that the majority of their clients are contracted.
The final topic of the webinar dealt with technology. Each of the operators stated that integrating with GNet has been particularly valuable for their software needs. The representatives of the company then discussed the new options of the GNet Connect service.
As with all the Coffee With ILLBA sessions, this webinar is available for free on the association’s YouTube channel. Click here to view.
Visit illba.org for more information.
[06.23.25]
