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TLPAUPCOMING TLPA EVENTS
SAVE THESE DATES! TLPA Spring Conference & Expo TLPA Mid-Year International Leadership Conference TLPA Annual Convention & Trade Show
TLPA SPRING CONFERENCE & EXPO IN KANSAS CITY Go ahead, start humming, “Going to Kansas City, Kansas City here I come”, and make your plans to attend TLPA’s Spring Conference & Expo in where else - Kansas City, Missouri! This is where you can find great networking opportunities and the newest vendor products and services to help you build your transportation company.
TLPA President Brian Hunt and TLPA host operators, Sheri Watson and Terry O’Toole, invite you to TLPA’s Spring Conference & Expo where our focus will be on superior customer service. The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in the heart of all that Kansas City has to offer. Kansas City is the most centrally located city in the nation which makes it a great location for the Spring Conference. Part of the city’s charm lies in its impressive network of boulevards, fantastic architecture, spacious parks and over 200 exquisite fountains. Kansas City offers visitors great daytime and evening diversions including world renowned blues and jazz clubs, a thriving arts scene, superb shopping and many fine restaurants including those specializing in the city’s signature food - BBQ.
Sponsors are vital to keeping TLPA conference fees affordable and allowing us to provide added benefits to our meetings. Current Spring Conference Sponsors include:
The conference will begin Wednesday, May 7 with the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Foundation (TLPF) Board Meeting at ll:30 a.m. followed by meetings of the Taxicab and Paratransit & Contracting Steering Committee at 2:30 p.m. The Opening Cocktail Reception at 6:00 p.m. will take place in the Exhibits area where 30 or more companies will have their products and services on display. Thursday morning, May 8, will begin with our very popular breakout sessions which allow attendees to choose topics of interest to hear and participate in a number of presentations. The Limousine Steering Committee and the General Session will be held on Thursday afternoon. Session topics will focus on industry innovations - solutions and techniques to help managers better lead their companies to providing successful quality transportation service. Presentations will examine how the best industry practices and knowledge of customer service techniques can improve every aspect of company operations. New to this year¹s Spring Conference is an open meeting of the TLPA Board of Directors which will be held on Friday morning. The board meeting (previously held at the TLPA Mid- Year Conference) will discuss a variety of Association topics including future meeting site selections. The operator tours of Checker Transportation Group and Kansas City Transportation Group, the last item of conference business, will take place on Friday afternoon. As always, attendees will have ample time to relax and plenty of opportunities to network with fellow operators and industry suppliers.
Our host operators, Sheri Watson (Checker Transportation Group) and Terry O¹Toole (Kansas City Transportation Group), invite TLPA¹s Spring Conference attendees to a Thursday evening of fun, food, drink and a little friendly competition at Kansas City¹s newest attraction, the College Basketball Experience. Make no mistake, the College Basketball Experience is not a museum. This is a high energy, interactive venue where basketball fans of any age can totally immerse themselves in the game of college basketball. Located at the new Sprint Center in Kansas City¹s Power & Light District, the 41,500 square foot building features the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, exhibits honoring coaches and players as well as hands on, interactive exhibits designed to test a visitor¹s basketball skill level and knowledge.
After enjoying dinner, Sheri and Terry invite all attendees to “Step Up To The Line” in electrifying game like situations from sinking the game winning shot to announcing the play by play action from the ESPNU broadcast desk. There are courts to practice your passing and rebounding skills, to challenge a friend to a Pop-a-Shot or 3-pointer contest. And if you¹ve ever wanted to feel the exhilaration of a “dunk shot”, you¹ll have your chance here where backboards at a variety of heights provide the opportunity.
The Expo will feature tabletop and floor exhibits from vendors eager to show you their newest products and services. As always, our exhibit hall will be the location of the food and beverage functions including the opening cocktail reception, buffet breakfast, and the buffet lunch. The Spring Expo allows for a more intimate setting than does our Annual Trade Show and our exhibitors take advantage of that time concentrating on you, their customers, in a more relaxed atmosphere.
Sheri Watson of Checker Transportation Group and Terry O’Toole of Kansas City Transportation Group will offer tours of their respective facilities on Friday afternoon for all Spring Conference participants. Checker Transportation Group is the largest female owned transportation company in Kansas City. It operates over 180 vehicles and is the largest sedan supplier to the KCATA, MARC and to several school districts. Checker’s philosophy is “Safety, Sensitivity and Awareness”: safety first in all situations, sensitivity to clients’ special needs, and an ongoing awareness of what commitment is needed to provide honest reliable service. Conference attendees are invited for a tour of their facility. Kansas City Transportation Group (KCTG) is Kansas City’s largest full line ground transportation company. With a diversified fleet of more than 400 vehicles, KCTG prides itself in its diverse staff of 650 transportation professionals. Customer Satisfaction, Safety, and Accountability are themes that are constantly reinforced throughout the organization. In 2007, SuperShuttle International, the world’s largest airport shared ride service, acquired KCTG. The company is located in a brand new five acre campus in the heart of Downtown Kansas City. The complex features a state-of-the-art maintenance facility, a 24-hour car wash and detailing center and the latest in computer dispatching technology, all of which will interest TLPA Spring Conference attendees.
The Hyatt Regency Crown Center has all the amenities that any attendee will want and need including the plush Hyatt Grand beds, high speed Internet and T-mobile WiFi, express check in and check out, heated all season outdoor pool, and complimentary health club with free weights, cardio machines, whirlpool and sauna. Check in time is 3:00 p.m. and check out time is 12:00 noon.
Enjoy a view of Kansas City’s skyline or the Crown Center amid the sophisticated comfort of contemporary décor offered in single or double occupancy at TLPA’s great convention rate of $139. Triple and quad rooms are also available for $164 and $189. There are a number of suites available upon request also offered at special convention rates. Regency Club rooms are available for an additional $40 per night. Make your reservations early. TLPA’s room block will expire on April 4, 2008 or whenever our block of rooms sells out whichever happens first. You may also contact the Hyatt Reservations Center directly at (402) 593-5088 or toll free at (800) 233-1234 and use the reservation code: TAXI to receive our special group rate.
The Kansas City airport (MCI) is approximately 22 miles from the hotel. Taxi fare averages $35-40 one-way and local members include Checker Cab and Yellow Cab. You could also opt for the KCI shuttle operated by member Kansas City Transportation Group that offers a shuttle every 30 minutes priced between $16 $29 roundtrip.
Kansas City has more to offer than ever, $4.5 billion in downtown improvements to be exact. Attached to the TLPA convention hotel is the Crown Center, headquarters of Hallmark Cards, and an enclosed complex of shops, restaurants, exhibits, and live theatre. Attached to it by covered walkway is Union Station, a renovated train station that houses a science center along with more theatres and restaurants. Just to the south is the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial.This one of a kind museum serves as the first and only American museum dedicated to the Great War. Art lovers will enjoy the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art with its five levels of galleries bathed in natural light. There, you can discover masterpieces by French Impressionists to photographs from the earliest days of American photography. The new addition to the museum was designed by recognized architect Steven Holl and captures the imagination with glass structures rising out of the landscape illuminating the night sky The new Power & Light District (a 15-minute walk from the hotel) is also an exciting new area featuring seven blocks of restaurants, entertainment and nightclubs.
Designed with the pedestrian in mind, the Power & Light District has broad, brick paved sidewalks, extensive landscaping, fountains, fire pits, pocket parks and outdoor seating. By day the district is a unique lunch and retail destination and by night it transforms to an electrifying fun zone. For baseball fans, the tentative 2008 baseball schedule has the Kansas City Royals playing the Los Angeles Angels on May 7 and the Baltimore Orioles, May 8-10. Last, but not least: BBQ. Barbeque is one thing Kansas City does better than everyone else. With their rich traditions of dry rubbed meats cooked to perfection and covered with a multitude of spicy sauces, Kansas City is “The Home of Barbeque”. Kansas City brings it all together with more than 100 barbecue joints, from itty bitty eateries to nothing-but-barbecue restaurants. Kansas City has it all! Register today! To download a registration form, go to: www.tlpa.org/commerce/spring_conf_reg2008.cfm TLPA HAS MOVED AND HAS A NEW TELEPHONE & FAX NUMBER After 25 years in a near underground location in Kensington, Maryland, TLPA moved to a new office location on January 22. The new TLPA office is located at: TLPA The main phone number is (301) 984-5700 and the fax is (301) 984-5703. Harold Morgan, TLPA Executive Vice President, submitted this article.
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