TLPA

SUCCESSFUL AND ENERGIZING TLPA SPRING CONFERENCE IN BALTIMORE

Joe Rubino Addressing the TLPA Spring Conference in Baltimore

The Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association’s Spring Conference & Exposition held in Baltimore May 3-5 was an energizing event. The meeting was TLPA’s fifth largest Spring Conference in its 30 year history.

This huge turnout with 254 participants was a tribute to the event sponsors:

• Veolia Transportation,
  
• Liberty Motor Company,
  
• 1-800-Taxicab,
  
• Standard Taxi, and
  
• Digital Dispatch Systems, and
  
• to the 32 vendor displays that made up the Exposition.

Over the three days TLPA featured wonderful social functions in the exhibit hall where there were 32 vendor displays;

• a tour of Yellow Transportation's impressive 900 vehicle facility with lunch provided by Standard Taxi; and
  
• an optional night out to a baseball game including dinner at Orioles Park at Camden Yards.

The TLPA Taxicab, Limousine and Paratransit & Sedan Steering Committees met in open sessions and there were eight educational sessions that shared much valuable information.

These educational sessions included Business Development:

• Filling the Front and Back Seats of Taxicabs featuring well known speaker, Joe Rubino of J.M. Rubino Consulting, St. Augustine, Florida;
  
• Credit/Debit Card Processing;
  
• How to Participate in the MPO Transportation Planning Process and Develop Local Projects;
  
• Brand Development: Making Your Name in the Marketplace;
  
• Data Fleet Operators Need to Track;
  
• Protecting Your Business: What Types of Policies and at What Limits;
  
• Contract Opportunities and Realities; and the featured presentation,
  
• Business Growth Opportunities for TLPA Members in Federally Funded

Transportation Programs by Jon Burkhardt, Westet, Inc., Rockville, Maryland, whose report will soon be available to all TLPA members in the Members Only portion of our TLPA web site.

These sessions were rated 93% excellent and good by the operators attending the meeting continuing the high rating of TLPA educational sessions the past few years.

The exhibition was busy with the 32 vendors entertaining the operators during the breakfast, lunch and cocktail reception held in the exhibit hall. Our Cocktail reception and breakfast buffet and lunch received a 96.7% excellent or good rating from the attendees.

Activity at the TLPA vendor's exhibition at the TLPA Spring Conference
and Exposition in Baltimore

Both the operators and vendors enjoyed the relaxed environment of the Exposition. TLPA would like to thank all of our vendors for participating including:

• 1-800-Taxicab,
  
• Advantaged Funding,
  
• Advanced EDR,
  
• Aleph, Inc.,
  
• American Country Insurance,
  
• Barnett Mobility,
  
• Cabconnect, Inc.,
  
• Capitol Group/UTBA,
  
• Centrodyne Corp. of America,
  
• Digital Dispatch Systems,
  
• EZ Tops World Wide,
  
• Gateway Insurance Company,
  
• Glieke, Inc.,
  
• Hankoff Insurance Group, Inc.,
  
• Liberty Motor Company,
  
• MJM Innovations,
  
• Mobile Knowledge Corporation,
  
• NDF Merchant Services,
  
• Paratransit Insurance Company,
  
• Professional Insurance Center,
  
• Q’Straint, Research Underwriters,
  
• RouteMatch Software,
  
• Standard Taxi,
  
• Taxi Technology Corporation,
  
• TaxiPro/AequiCap, Inc.,
  
• Tranware, Inc.,
  
• Unified Dispatch,
  
• Verifeye Technologies,
  
• VeriFone Transportation Systems/Taxitronic,
  
• Viewpoint Mobility, and
  
• Wireless Edge International.
  

A picture of the luncheon during the TLPA Spring Conference
and Exposition in Baltimore

TLPA President Brian Wier making some welcoming remarks to attendees at the TLPA Spring Conference and Exposition in Baltimore.

Seated at the table are Jon Burkhardt of Westet, Rockville, Maryland,
prior to giving the keynote Presentation for the conference on Business Growth Opportunities for TLPA Members in Federally Funded Transportation Programs.

Also seated at the table is Sheri Watson, Checker Transportation Group,
Kansas City, Missouri, who is one of the host operators for the 2008 TLPA Spring Conference and Exposition in Kansas City, Missouri.

Make plans now to attend TLPA’s next two meetings this year. Information on these special events can already be found on the association’s web site www.tlpa.org.

The TLPA Mid-Year Conference will be held in Bermuda, July 25-29. The meeting is being held at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel. All participants, including children, will need a passport to travel to and from Bermuda. So, check your passport expiration dates now. The Mid-Year Conference will feature discussions and policy setting action on legislative and regulatory issues of concern to our industry.

TLPA’s 89th Annual Convention & Trade Show will be held in Denver, October 9-12. The Annual Gateway Insurance Golf Tournament to benefit the Taxicab, limousine & Paratransit Foundation is on October 8.

The convention will be held at the new Hyatt Regency Denver Hotel and the Colorado Convention Center. This convention will feature excellent educational sessions and an unsurpassed trade show.

Together with the social functions and camaraderie, Denver's 300 days of sunshine, and its great restaurants and nightlife, attendees have a tremendous location for the passenger ground transportation industry's premier event. TLPA is planning for this to be its largest show ever.

Hal Morgan, TLPA’s Director of Research & Education, provided this article.

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