March 5, 2019
Want to sell more tours, fill more buses?
UMA can help. Attend the inaugural Sales Summit.
Proactive training for economic shifts
May 29-30 UMA will hold a first-of-its-kind Sales Summit at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. The event will include a mix of keynote and training sessions, panel discussions and facilitated roundtables that let large and small fleet operators connect in their own respective spaces. Networking, as always, will be key as attendees expand their networks, create new sales opportunities and learn from one another.

The UMA Sales Summit will equip your team to Renew, Refresh and Refocus sales efforts to build your book of business. A robust sales operation can be the key to recession-proofing your business.

Jim McCann of Spader Business Management is a featured speaker who'll motivate attendees to create and nurture a sales-driven culture. He says the top 20 percent of most profitable motorcoach companies are successfully creating such a culture and that means they are consistently focused on achieving a certain revenue every day whether a season is expected to be slow or busy. It's always time to sell.

Real world experiences will be part of the Summit, using examples from businesses operating in Mall of America, the largest retail mall in the USA that has thrived in an era when retail has forced many to close their doors.
Keynote speaker Shawna Suckow, will open the Sales Summit sharing her knowledge of successful selling in the tour and travel industry and position attendees for the immediate future and coming shifts in the industry and help them discover actionable strategies to prospect better, sell easier, get more referrals and succeed in 2019 and beyond. Read her blog.
Click the "Register" button to see the full agenda and sign up. Register by April 1 and save.
The UMA 2019 Sales Summit is sponsored by the following business leaders
UMA MEMBER
BENEFITS SPOTLIGHT
A workers' comp program that has big benefits for smaller companies
Open to UMA Members only, the UMA Comp program enables motorcoach operators to receive the same quality, comprehensive workers' compensation programs as large companies, including competitive pricing as well as coverages specifically tailored to our public auto exposure.    For more information, contact Ron Schwarz  atrschwarz@kfbins.com  or 818-242-5100, ext. 140
FREE WEBINAR
Generate revenue with USI's Travel Protection Plan
What: USI Travel Protection Plan Webinar for UMA Members
When: March 21 at 2 p.m. Eastern Time

UMA members are invited to participate in a live webinar that will explain how your company can take advantage of unique programs from USI Travel Insurance Services. These programs can generate revenue to help your bottom line, and they can give you a competitive advantage because this program is not available elsewhere. It is a UMA exclusive!

Here's what you need to know:
  • UMA partner USI Travel Insurance Services is proud to offer a travel protection plan designed exclusively for UMA member companies.
  • Participating in this program will help you BOOST your bottom line while offering a valuable service to your customers
  • It costs nothing to participate – simply sign up and start selling travel protection plans to your customers! Each sale means revenue for you.
  • Join a webinar by USI Travel Insurance Services on Thursday, March 14 to learn more.
WORK-LIFE
Culture: How to build a team that can go the distance
Fast Company | by Frederick Kerrest | March 5, 2019

Company culture is hard to define, but it’s woven into everything a company does. It’s the reason employees love or hate their jobs, or customers can feel valued or ignored. Like reputation, it takes years to build a good culture, but only a few missteps to mess it all up. That’s why smart founders focus on developing company culture from day one and work like mad to protect it for the duration.

In the latest episode of Zero to IPO, we talked to four leaders that know what it takes to create a culture that helps you build a team that can go the distance and create the kind of company you can all be proud of. Here’s what they learned along the way.

SALES
Attention sales people: products & services don't exist
by Shawna Suckow | December 8, 2018

Products and services don't exist. Did I get your attention? Good. Don’t worry. This isn’t some kind of existential, postmodern take on sales. There’s an undercurrent of buyer dissatisfaction out there, so I think it’s time for a killer reminder of what today’s customers really want in a transaction.

Even though we are ultimately going to buy a product or service, it’s not really about that. It’s not about the extra features, either. It’s not about the price.

“All our conversations, negotiations, and ruminations are about what we are trying to achieve, not what we’re trying to buy.”

When we say we want to replace an antiquated CRM system, for example, we aren’t saying we want you to talk our ears off about your product, and its features (this is what your competitors do, so take a different approach).
The 2019-2020 UMA directory is being created
Log in to UMA and update your member record, ASAP
It's time to update your member record! Look in your inbox for emails from info@uma.org with complete details. Keeping your member record current means it will appear correctly in the UMA member directory that will be printed this spring.

The primary contact for your company can view and update everything from your company's contacts to details about the makeup of your fleet. This is important as UMA prepares to print our 2019-2020 member directory.

For information on how to update your record, there's a quick video to walk you through the process.Want to send your form in instead of going online? Fax it toUMA at (703) 838-2950.
Bus & Motorcoach News is mailed twice monthly to all UMA members. In addition, it's available online 24/7 at www.busandmotorcoachnews.com and by email, on a schedule you choose! Invite everyone on your staff to stay informed about the industry by signing up for email updates from  Bus & Motorcoach News Sign up here. You can choose daily or weekly updates! Below is a sampling of what's in our latest digital and print editions.
Motorcoach operators feeling ramifications of deadly upstate New York limo crash
Bus and Motorcoach News | by Rick Stoff | March 2, 2019

The fatal October crash of a stretch limousine in New York has produced an enforcement crackdown on all passenger carriers, a tug-of-war between state and federal investigators and a governor’s proposals to drastically increase passenger carrier regulations and, of course, fees.

A stretched 2001 Ford Excursion raced through a stop sign, seemingly out of control, in Schoharie, New York, on Oct. 6. The limousine struck and killed two people in a parking lot and continued into a wooded area, where the driver and 17 passengers were killed.

Recreational marijuana and the charter bus industry
Bus and Motorcoach News | by Shandra Martinez | March 3, 2019

There are pros and cons to cashing in on the cannabis tourism scene. Jake Byrd has had a few offers to cash in on Colorado’s legalization of marijuana, but he has turned them down. He won’t relent on one rule: no smoking on his buses.

“I don’t want my drivers being bombarded by any kind of residual marijuana smoke,” said Byrd, who has owned the Denver-based Charter of the Rockies for 11 years. “If they want to go, I’ll take them, but they can’t smoke on the bus.”

Someone suggested Byrd consider protecting his driver from a contact high by installing a compartment around the driver’s seat, a sort of clear plastic cocoon that can zipper up around the person. While the concept sounded ridiculous to Byrd, he later saw a company showing a similar contraption in an ad for cannabis bus tours.

Connect with UMA on social media and online
Have you connected with UMA on social media?  On our Facebook page you'll find videos and photos from all the fun at EXPO and updates on what's coming up for members. And if you follow us on Twitter, you'll stay on top of what other operators and industry partners are doing and what UMA is up to as well. Join the conversation. Let's stay connected!

Click on the links below and stay in touch.
Motorcoach Industry Calendar

MARCH 2019
  • 11-12 GNJMA Sponsor Appreciation Dinner, Spring Association Meeting & Motorcoach Professional Awards, Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem http://www.gnjma.com/
  • 19 California Bus Association Sacramento General Membership Meeting, Masonic Temple, 1123 J Street – Club Room, Sacramento, CA Register
  • 21 at 2 p.m. Eastern - Webinar: USI Travel Protection Plan for UMA Members REGISTER
  • 26 PBA Board Meeting – Wyndham York, York, PA http://pabus.org/
  • 26 PBA Investing in the Motorcoach Industry: Increasing your ROI seminar, Wyndham York, York, PA http://pabus.org/
  • 26 PBA Drivers & Employees of Distinction Awards Program – Wyndham York, York, PA http://pabus.org/
  • 27 PBA Marketplace Group Leader Show, Wyndham York, York, PA
  • 27-28 Maryland Motorcoach Association Marketplace/Travel Showcase Dover Downs Casino, Dover, DE

APRIL 2019
  • 2 – 3 Bus & Motorcoach Industry Legislative Fly-In powered by UMA www.uma.org/capitol-hill
  • 7 – 9 Northwest Motorcoach Association Annual Mechanics & Tech & Tour Conference, Comfort Inn & Suites Boise Airport Boise, ID

MAY 2019

JUNE 2019
  • 18-21 PBA Annual Meeting, Resorts Casino, Atlantic City, NJ (Hosted by Atlantic City/MeetAC)
  • 20-23 New England Bus Association Annual Conference, Nonantum Resort Kenneybunkport, ME
  • 21 PBA Board Meeting, Atlantic City http://pabus.org/

AUGUST 2019
  • 6-9 IMG Strategic Alliance Meeting, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
  • 12-14 Midwest Bus & Motorcoach Association (MBMCA) Annual Convention and Trade Show (and Roadeo Competition), Isle Casino Hotel, Bettendorf, IA www.mbmca.org
  • 14 PBA Safety & Preparedness Workshop, York Springs, PA http://pabus.org/
  • 15-18 NAMO Annual Conference & Marketplace – Springfield, MO Oasis Hotel and Convention Center  http://www.namo-coaches.org/

SEPTEMBER 2019
  • 11, Maryland Motorcoach Association Annual Crab Feast, Kentmorr Restaurant and Crab House. Stevensville, MD

OCTOBER 2019
  • 9-10 GNJMA Fall Annual Meeting & Related Events including Group Leader Marketplace, Resorts Atlantic City http://www.gnjma.com/
  • 13 -15 California Bus Association’s 46th Annual Convention and Trade Show, Sheraton Carlsbad Resort and Spa www.cbabus.com
  • 20-22 Bus Association of New York (BANY) Annual Meeting and Marketplace, Sands Bethlehem, Bethlehem, PA – bany@banybus.org
  • October 21-23, 201920th Annual North West Motorcoach Association ROADEO Location TBD

JANUARY 2020
OCTOBER 2020
  • 25- 27 California Bus Association’s 47th Annual Convention and Trade Show, Omni Rancho Las Palmas in Rancho Mirage, CA (Palm Springs) www.cbabus.com
YOU ARE UMA
Remember, as a UMA member you have the power of discounts on the best products and services, access to relevant education, targeted professional resources, and colleagues all over the map. Remember to consult your member directory when you need help on the road, access to more vehicles to meet demand, or services out of your area. We are UMA! Want to find other members to do business with? Use the online directory.

Reach the UMA staff by calling (703) 838-2929 or by email at info@uma.org . We love to hear from our members!