SAN FRANCISCO You don't have to work in the motorcoach industry very long to discover that the No. 1 place to find the latest and greatest bus maintenance products and services is at UMA Motorcoach Expo.

And Expo '08 will be no different.

But the Moscone Center, which is hosting next year's Expo, also will be the site of the industry's most popular forum for bus maintenance personnel to share information and find solutions for the real problems and challenges they confront every day.

The name of the forum is the Maintenance Interchange and it will be Jan. 17, lasting all day.

The interchange is a vendor-free forum where mechanics, technicians, maintenance supervisors and others with maintenance responsibilities or a keen interest in maintenance issues can exchange ideas in a noncompetitive atmosphere, discuss products and services, and provide suggestions for the most pressing and prevalent maintenance issues in the industry.

It also allows attendees to air grievances about vendor products, services and business practices.

"The interchange is a welcoming environment for honest discourse and a great opportunity to create solutions for the most pressing maintenance issues facing operators," says UMA President and CEO Victor Parra.

Debuted at Motorcoach Expo 2007 in New Orleans was the newest component of the Maintenance Interchange -- the Maintenance Competition.

Interchange attendees will have an opportunity to engage in a trouble-shooting competition that will take place in the facilities of Coach America/San Francisco Gray Line.

In a competition against the clock and other mechanics, attendees can expect anything from transmission problems, to a broken water pump, to onboard computer issues.

Competitors will diagnose, locate and eliminate problems, and will be judged by a panel of industry experts. Attendees earn prizes, as well as bragging rights.

Unlike last year's competition, however, there is no limit on the number of individuals who can participate.

To register for the '08 Maintenance Interchange and the Maintenance Competition, copy the form above and mail or fax it to UMA by Dec. 28. Call UMA for additional information at (800) 424-8262, or go to www.motorcoachexpo.com.