Automotive Fleet, December 2020

FLEET EDUCA VIRTUAL MANY FLEET CONFERENCES SWITCHED TO A VIRTUAL FORMAT IN 2020 AMID WIDESPREAD CORPORATE TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS CONFERENCES PRODUCED BY BOBIT BUSINESS MEDIA AND OTHERS MADE THE SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO A DIGITAL PLATFORM BY ANDY LUNDIN F leet conferences in 2020 switched over to a virtual format to make up for the absence of in person meetings due to shelter in place mandates brought on as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic The industry had to innovate on the fly which resulted in the creation of digital platforms where educational content and peer networking could thrive despite the industry setbacks Conferences that successfully adjusted to this transition included five events hosted by Bobit Business Media as well as the 2020 Automotive Fleet Leasing AFLA NextGen Conference and the NAFA 2020 Virtual Institute Expo I E 2020 GOVERNMENT FLEET EXPO EXPERIENCE The Government Fleet Expo GFX Experience was hosted Oct 26 30 2020 and offered educational content and insight into the current issues facing public fleets Top conference topics addressed during the week included keys to implementing effective electric vehicle and sustainability programs best practices of how government fleets are addressing the pandemic important metrics that public fleets should be measuring and more A keynote address on the first day of the conference focused on fleet leadership and the importance of broadening knowledge beyond key responsibilities of a fleet manager and additional factors that affect professional AUTOMOTIVE FLEET I DECEMBER 2020 36 growth in the industry Other session highlights through the week included how to achieve fleet excellence through top notch customer service how government fleets are improving fleet safety and the best practices of highly effective fleet repair garages Group networking sessions and virtual vendor booths were hosted over the weeklong conference as an innovative alternative to the in person interactions the event is known for 2020 AUTOMOTIVE FLEET LEASING ASSOCIATION AFLA NEXTGEN CONFERENCE AFLAs transition to its 2020 NextGen Virtual conference resulted in a platform that successfully continued the Associations tradition of sharing essential industry best practices and recognizing key leaders in the commercial fleet industry Hosted on Oct 5 7 2020 this years conference included the continued tradition of recognizing the Edward J Bobit Fleet Manager of the Year Award which this year went to Lee Pierce director of fleet for Nutrien Ag Solutions Also recognized was the 2020 Fleet Executive of the Year which went to Yogi Shivdasani VP North America supply chain LKQ Corp The Fleet Hall of Fame Inductees for 2020 went to Art Liggio CEO and president of Driving Dynamics Gordon B West retired fleet manager for Pfizer and past NAFA president and Tom Callahan president of Donlen AFLAs new virtual conference also established a robust networking platform that allowed fleet professionals to easily locate and engage with industry peers sponsors and other conference attendees experience 2020 FLEET FORWARD EXPERIENCE The 2020 Fleet Forward Experience hosted virtually Nov 9 13 2020 continued to provide forward looking content in one of the most disruptive eras of the fleet industry Highlights of this conference started on the first day with Tesla outlining its plans for integration while Waymos Vijaysai Patnaik discussed the companys long term vision for autonomous technology in fleets The second day was highlighted Yaro Hetman global marketing director for electric trucks and commercial vehicles at Ford discussing the manufacturers electrification initiatives There was also a discussion between Tom Coffey of Merchants Fleet and several autonomous technology SMEs on the business models for fleets to integrate autonomous technology