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The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the voice of business travel industry, has appointed current Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Scott Solombrino as Chief Executive Officer following a unanimous vote by the GBTA Board of Directors.
GBTA CEO Scott Solombrino
Prior to taking an executive role with GBTA, Solombrino was the longtime president and CEO of Dav El/BostonCoach, a position he left in 2019 after 43 years. During his time as an operator, he had been a staunch force for the advancement of the ground transportation industry internationally, including through his work with the NLA.
“We are thrilled to equip our operating leader with the proper tools to guide the industry out of the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic," said GBTA President Bhart Sarin. "Now GBTA's principle spokesperson will have an even stronger position to advocate for the return of business travel.” GBTA represents professionals in all facets of business travel, from airlines and hotels to chauffeured transportation.
According to a press release from GBTA, the association has built upon its strengths by replenishing its financial reserves, refocusing advocacy efforts in the United States and Europe, and strengthening relationships with members and sponsors under Solombrino's dedicated leadership.
“One year ago, Scott offered the GBTA Board a vision of financial security, upscaling advocacy, and a laser focus on the member; it is because of that vision that GBTA is surviving the crisis and will be there for members when we emerge to rebuild our industry," said Dorothy Dowling, president of the GBTA Allied Leadership Council.
GBTA members can anticipate the Association will be better positioned to influence public policy and deliver positive outcomes for its buyers and sponsors.
“We are very excited to have Scott as CEO of GBTA," says Chairperson of the Board Christle Johnson. "Scott has brought us energy, strategy, sensitivity, and proven leadership; having discussed at length, benchmarked against peer organizations, and vetted by legal counsel, the time was right to make the appointment.”
Visit gbta.org for more information.
[05.06.20]
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The National Limousine Association (NLA) will be holding a No Operator Left Behind (NOLB) Virtual Summit on May 12 starting at noon ET on the NLA’s Facebook page. The event will be hosted by NLA President Robert Alexander of RMA Worldwide and Bill Faeth of Limo University, and will include several guest speakers who will cover a variety of topics to be announced. NOLB is an added-value benefit for NLA members who are smaller operators (19 vehicles or fewer) to offer support and education so that they can thrive.
U.S. Travel Association President & CEO Roger Dow
Initially, May 12 was designated by the NLA as No Operator Left Behind Day, and plans were in place to hold an in-person event featuring education from guest speakers. With COVID-19 putting the world on lockdown, the event was shifted to a Virtual Summit, which Faeth says will offer four hours of content.
The summit will offer a number of guest speakers, including U.S. Travel Association President & CEO Roger Dow and Global DMC Partners President & CEO Catherine Chaulet, both of whom were announced in a recent Facebook Live session. NLA Executive Director Kyle Hammerschmidt has said that they are anticipating guests from vertical markets—such as hotels, DMCs, wedding and retail specialists, as well as other travel industry experts—to take part in the online event.
Global DMC Partners President & CEO Catherine Chaulet
The NLA describes No Operator Left Behind (NOLB) as a program built by Limo University Founder Bill Faeth and past NLA President Gary Buffo in conjunction with the NLA specifically aimed at smaller operators. It is part of a multi-pronged initiative that aims to arm those operators with the education and support they need to thrive, while connecting them with larger NLA member operators who have the experience to offer guidance.
“In the absence of the ability to gather in person, the No Operator Left Behind Virtual Summit is what we envision as the next best thing,” says Alexander. “We all need to gather information, learn, and share ideas now more than ever as we determine what our next steps are going to be and how our world has been forever changed. We are assembling a fantastic panel of experts from all over the travel industry and with Bill Faeth producing, we know it’s going to be an event you won’t want to miss.”
The event is being sponsored by Grech Motors, Chosen Payments, Jaco Limousine, Limo & Bus Compliance, and Limo Anywhere.
Update (5.8.20): Additional speakers have been added to the lineup. They include CEO Jay Karen of National Golf Course Owners Association, Senior Marketing Planner Angela Layton of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy, Dr. Lucy McBride of Foxhall Internists, CEO & Founder Sara McCall of Stunning and Brilliant Events, and Stuart Ross of Red Light Management.
Click here for information on how to join the event. The NLA is also continuously updating its coronavirus resource page, available here.
[05.05.20]
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Carolina Limousine & Coach, based in Myrtle Beach, S.C., has announced that they are the winners of a 2020 Gold Hermes Creative Award for their "Imagine a Brighter Future" social media video campaign, a response to COVID-19.
Carolina Limousine & Coach Special Projects Coordinator Andrew Wright (left) and President/Owner Joe Reinhardt with their Hermes Award
The Hermes Creative Awards, one of the oldest and largest creative competitions in the world, honors the “messengers and creators of the information revolution.” Armed with their imaginations and computers, Hermes winners bring their ideas to life through traditional and digital platforms. Winners range in size from individuals, to media conglomerates, and Fortune 500 companies. Each year, competition judges evaluate the creative industry's best publications, branding collateral, websites, and videos, along with advertising, marketing, and communication programs.
Created by Carolina Limousine & Coach Special Projects Coordinator Andrew Wright and collaborator Thomas Hart, the goal of the video was to give the company’s Myrtle Beach community something to look forward to.
“We want our community to maintain hope that the future will be brighter,” says Wright. “We told our community to imagine a brighter future by imagining riding in one of our vehicles someday soon.”
While Wright is aware that it will take some time before people are traveling and back to normal, he hoped that focusing on their service might provide a beacon of hope for better times down the road.
“Our service is about togetherness,” he says. “We just want our community to imagine being together with close friends and loved ones inside one of our vehicles. With any luck, by suggesting this togetherness to the community we can instill some hope into their hearts and minds that we will get through this, we will endure, and when it's over, we will thrive.”
Carolina Limousine & Coach President/Owner Joe Reinhardt says that the message in the video is part of the company’s vision during the industry downturn.
“During the COVID-19 crisis the goal of our marketing has been to be positive, letting our clients and community know that we will be here when they ready to travel again. Andrew Wright in our marketing department has led this mission and we are honored to win the prestigious Hermes Award for Andrew’s work,” says Reinhardt.
Visit carolinalimo.com for more information.
[05.04.20]