ALEXANDRIA, VA, March 4, 2010—The UMA Motorcoach Expo 2010 held true to its theme and showed that it was thriving in a new economy at its event held February 23-27 in Las Vegas. 191 exhibiting companies displayed a wide spectrum of goods for the motorcoach industry—from coach builders and equipment suppliers to service providers and accessory suppliers to destinations and attractions, the floor held aisle after aisle of all the latest products and services available to operators. Over 1,800 attendees gathered for the event.

In addition to the trade show floor, the event featured 12 solution sessions to give motorcoach operators more insight into marketing, operations and finance for their businesses. A variety of affiliated meetings such as the State Association Summit, UMA’s annual membership meetings, UMA’s Legislative & Regulatory Update, the Maintenance Interchange, along with informational sessions and social networking functions, were also held. A highlight of the event was the opening remarks given by FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro showing her commitment to motorcoach transportation. A golf tournament rounded out the week.

As the industry’s gathering place, many other industry organizations hold their events in conjunction with UMA’s Expo. The National Association of Motorcoach Operators (NAMO) and various manufacturers held meetings during the week, and the International Motor Coach Group (IMG) held their Maintenance & Safety Forum prior to Expo. The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) was represented on the trade show floor, and the Motorcoach Council’s industry-wide initiative, “Get Motorcoachified” campaign, was featured prominently during the event.

A memorable high point of the week was the 7th Annual Vision Awards Banquet, spotlighting outstanding motorcoach companies as nominated by their industry peers. The Vision Award winner for small operator was H & L Charter of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, with Bauer’s Transportation of San Francisco, CA winning the Vision Award for large operator. Also handed out at the banquet were the Green Highway Award and the Safety Leader of the Year Award. The Green Highway Award recognizes an industry leader having a positive impact on our environment. This year’s Green Highway Award went to Riteway Bus Service of Richfield, WI. The Safety Leader of the Year award recognizes an individual actively engaged in the industry and was presented to Wesley Barber of FMCSA.

“I really think this year’s Expo lived up to its mission of showing operators how to thrive in a new economy,” stated Victor S. Parra, UMA’s President and CEO. “Presenters and speakers drove home the point that now is the time to think outside the box and utilize different approaches to marketing and operations to get your business moving forward. The operators that gathered in Las Vegas already showed they are ahead of the curve in making the commitment to attend their industry’s annual meeting to make new connections and learn new ideas. We think we gave them some good solutions to take back with them and put into practice ASAP.”

“This was a great show. For four days, the entire industry came together in Las Vegas—there is strength in numbers, and the turn out in Las Vegas shows how strong this industry really is,” Parra concludes.

The UMA Motorcoach Expo 2011 will be held January 19-23, 2011 in Tampa, Florida.