Motorcoach operators are planning an important in-person meeting April 21-25, as they convene for the UMA Motorcoach EXPO in Orlando. Held annually, EXPO is the largest gathering of private bus and motorcoach company leaders in North America. With safety protocols in place, the 2021 Motorcoach EXPO will provide integral education and professional development and networking opportunities. There is also a trade show floor that will feature top industry suppliers with solutions, products and technologies that companies need. The meeting coincides with the organization’s 50th birthday.
Operators forecast a return to business
For most of 2020, over-the-road buses have been at a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, operators forecast a return to business in 2021. They are ready to step up marketing, sales, safety and sanitation best practices. UMA Motorcoach EXPO in Orlando will be the first opportunity in a very long time that industry professionals will have to gather with long-time colleagues. UMA recognizes many companies have financial constraints. To encourage attendance, UMA has rolled back registration rates to below 2014 levels.
“We, as an industry, have been through a lot of challenges this year. One of those is that we have not been able to connect, face-to-face,” UMA Chairman of the Board Jeff Polzien said. “At EXPO in Orlando, we can be in-person safely to mark our 50th year and get geared up to move again. We have an amazing group of volunteer leaders who have put so much thought into how to make this an EXPO to remember; a once-in-a-generation event.”
Motorcoach EXPO will commemorate the operators’ 50 years working together as an association dedicated to serving the needs of private bus and motorcoach companies, many of which are small, multi-generational family businesses. EXPO will include two education tracks, general sessions, meals, awards, and special surprises.
A Pivot Point: UMA Motorcoach EXPO in Orlando
“UMA’s 2021 Motorcoach EXPO comes at a pivotal point for operators. As we approach the 50-year mark as an association, our members are restarting restarting businesses in a challenging economic climate none of us anticipated,” UMA President & CEO Larry Killingsworth said. “EXPO will bring together the best of the industry. We will have peer-to-peer learning opportunities and essential education in sales and management. In addition EXPO will have the most innovative products and services. Most important, though, EXPO brings together our most important asset, our people. Our Members are amazingly proactive, resilient and creative business owners who are eager to get back to business. They inspire one another. And that’s a major reason to attend EXPO.”
EXPO will take place in Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. It is an accredited Global Briorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star Facility. The city of Orlando has been open for business with safety protocols in place. Because of that, they have held numerous successful events larger than EXPO.
UMA is offering affordable operator registration rates that are slightly lower than rates charged in 2014. UMA Members who register by December 15, 2020, can attend for $349 per person. And the first 50 registrants will receive a special gift, recognition at EXPO, and the chance to win one of several prizes, including a complimentary registration to EXPO for a second person from the same company and two Amazon $100 gift cards.
To learn more, go to www.motorcoachexpo.com.
