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- Category: Industry News
Carolina Limousine & Coach (CLC), one of the fastest growing transportation companies in the Southeast, has announced the onboarding of two new members to their management team in their office in Charleston, S.C. Mike Talarico joins the company as director of operations while Connor Langdon comes aboard as assistant fleet manager.
CLC Director of Operations Mike Talarico
“We’re a people business,” says CLC Owner & CEO Joe Reinhardt. “Mike and Connor both have extensive backgrounds in customer service and business management. We are happy to welcome them aboard.”
As director of operations for CLC, Talarico plans to use the extensive customer service experience he received while working for Marriott to expand the fleet in the Charleston office.
CLC Assistant Fleet Manager Connor Langdon
“I have a passion for vehicles. I’m fascinated by the attention to detail that the transportation industry encompasses, so this position suits my personality. In the next two years, we plan to expand the Charleston fleet to the size of the Myrtle Beach fleet we have now. The prospects are very exciting,” says Talarico.
In his new roles as assistant fleet manager, Langdon will be using his background in the service industry, which includes time behind the wheel as a valet driver in the Hamptons.
CLC Owner & CEO Joe Reinhardt
“This is a really great opportunity for me to grow with a growing company,” says Langdon. “It’s also great to use my service industry background to benefit Carolina Limousine & Coach. I’m really excited.”
“Mike and Connor have already taken the reins in their new positions, and I’m looking forward to them being tremendous assets for the company,” adds Reinhardt.
CLC is an award-winning transportation company headquartered in Myrtle Beach, S.C., with offices also in Charleston, S.C., and Wilmington, N.C. Their fleet includes limo coaches, executive buses, motorcoaches, sedans, SUVs, stretch limos, and trolleys.
Visit carolinalimo.com for more information.
[06.01.21]
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- Category: Industry News
It’s starting to feel like old times! Travel (especially air travel) has been steadily increasing just ahead of Memorial Day weekend, hotel bookings are more than 60 percent of 2019’s levels, and now with the CDC’s announcement that vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks indoors (except in special situations) or socially distance, states rapidly followed the guidance and dropped their own mask requirements.
Recent polls from both the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) and Northstar have found that numerous industry meetings are also returning in person in 2021, although some organizations are opting for a hybrid option to allow for both in person and remote attendees to join with peers and friends. This is a list of the associations and organizations that have announcement dates for upcoming events—including the CD/NLA Show!
Listed meetings are in person unless otherwise noted.
2021
June 2-4
American Bus Association Busworld North America Digital Summit (virtual)
June 15-17
Meeting Planners International WEC Vegas (hybrid)
July 13-15
United Motorcoach Association Sales Summit (virtual)
September 14
Limousine Association of New Jersey Golf Outing (tentative)
September 22-25
International Association of Transportation Regulators Conference Memphis
October 6-7
Greater New Jersey Motorcoach Association Annual Meeting Atlantic City
October 10-13
CD/NLA Show at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas
October 24-27
Pennsylvania Bus Association Annual Meeting
November 9-11
IMEX Las Vegas
November 17-19
Global Business Travel Association Convention Orlando
2022
January 8-11
American Bus Association Marketplace Grapevine, Texas
March 22
Pennsylvania Bus Association 2022 Marketplace
June 19-22
Pennsylvania Bus Association 2022 Annual Meeting
All dates and information listed are tentative and accurate at the time of publishing. If you’d like to add your event to our calendar, please send an email to susan@chauffeurdriven.com or rob@chauffeurdriven.com with dates and registration information.
[06.01.21]
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The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), the world’s largest business travel association, recently published the findings from a study into organizations’ corporate meetings and events strategy as a result of the pandemic (May 21, 2021). The study, made possible by Cvent, examines how US- and Canada-based travel meetings and events planners are managing their corporate meetings in the year ahead, the impact of COVID on their events, and the use of technology to enhance the delegate experience.
Key Findings:
Number of hybrid meetings set to double in 2021: The workplace in 2020 will be remembered for virtual meetings, but into 2021, the trend moves towards hybrid meetings, which offer both in-person and virtual experiences.
Prior to the pandemic, approximately seven in 10 respondents (71 percent) did not hold any hybrid meetings. This figure remained unchanged in 2020. As restrictions ease and business meetings resume, hybrid meetings could be on the rise to better accommodate both in-person and virtual attendees and reach a broader audience. Three in five respondents (60 percent) expect their company will hold at least one hybrid meeting in 2021. In addition, two-thirds of respondents (65 percent) are interested in holding more hybrid meetings as a result of the pandemic.
Simple meetings will be first to recover: Approximately half of respondents (52 percent) expect the number of in-person simple meetings held by their company—with 50 attendees or fewer—to return to the pre-pandemic level within a year.
For most companies, C-suite executives play a central role in approving requests to hold meetings in the current environment: Three-quarters of respondents (75 percent) say C-suite executives are involved with deciding if it is safe to hold a meeting or event in the current COVID-19 environment. Half say these executives (49 percent) have the most influence over the decision, while 17 percent say their company’s security/risk department has the most influence over the decision. While a number of other stakeholders—including HR, legal/compliance, travel managers/meeting planners, and budget owners/business units—are commonly involved when deciding if it is safe to hold a meeting or event, they rarely make the final decision.
Few companies have central visibility of all of their meetings: Only 30 percent of respondents say “most” or “all” of their company’s meetings are visible on a central calendar. A larger number say “few meetings” (19 percent) or “no meetings” (20 percent) are available on a central calendar. In some cases, different departments or regional offices plan and track meetings in different ways. This can make it difficult to quickly locate all scheduled meetings in an emergency situation. In addition, without this visibility, organizations risk over-spending and improperly managing their events.
Respondents find value in virtual meetings as part of a more robust event program: The nearly complete shift to virtual events in 2020 led to a positive change in respondents’ views towards their effectiveness as part of their overall marketing strategy.
Cvent CMO Patrick Smith
Respondents want to use technology to enhance the virtual experience: A large majority are “interested” or “very interested” in adding various technology components to virtual meetings in order to deliver a more engaging and immersive online event. These include virtual conferencing (79 percent), online registration (76 percent), post-event attendee surveys (74 percent), attendee tracking/lead tracking (70 percent), live polling (70 percent), and mobile event apps (66 percent).
While these are common staples of in-person meetings, respondents want to use them for virtual meetings as well to increase engagement and maximize virtual event ROI.
“The pandemic has had a significant impact on how organizations plan and manage their corporate meetings and events,” said Cvent CMO Patrick Smith. “A smart mix of virtual, in-person, and hybrid events is the future; and these three event delivery models will enable companies to reach and engage bigger audiences and gain deeper insight into attendee interests. The use of technology will help to lead the way in this new environment where we expect events to be more numerous and impactful than ever.”
Visit gbta.org for more information.
[05.27.21]