This year’s International Fleet Meeting has now taken place, bringing an insight into the latest fleet management trends and thinking for more than 250 fleet managers and automotive, leasing and service industry company representatives.

Michael Müller, director head of mobility & facilities at pharmaceutical firm Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, will be one of the main speakers

Marking the fifth time the event has been held, the International Fleet Meeting – which was run by Fleetcompetence Group and included International Fleet World as a media sponsor – was held on the second media day of the Geneva Motor Show and gave attendees the chance to hear from top-class speakers including Michael Müller, director head of mobility & facilities at pharmaceutical firm Daiichi Sankyo Europe GmbH, along with Marc A Odinius, managing director Dataforce GmbH.

Mr Müller introduced the firm’s new mobility concept which sees employees receive a ‘mobility budget’. This allows the combination of different forms of mobility, which, according to Mr Müller, benefits both the companies and the environment, as well as the employees. The employees are free to choose the mobility budget or, alternatively, to continue driving a company car. About 25% of Daiichi Sankyo employees don’t use company vehicles.

Attendees also heard from Mr Odinius of Dataforce GmbH on the latest developments within European fleet car choices, with SUVs becoming increasingly popular, along with alternatively fuelled company vehicles. However, Mr Odinius outlined how vehicle utilisation itself is also facing fundamental changes in order to meet future mobility needs.

This was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Thilo von Ulmenstein, managing partner of fleetcompetence europe GmbH, and joined by Hervé Girardot, head of Arval Consulting & Corporate Vehicle Observatory, as well as Stuart Donnelly, senior director – Group International Sales Northern Europe & USA at Sixt.

Mr Girardot outlined how a survey of 3,000 fleet managers found the majority of respondents were open to alternative fleet vehicles. However, only 2% of fleet managers would give up their own company vehicle. Mr Müller countered that this was in consequence of a lack of alternatives. If mobility options were made more attractive in the future, more employees would give up a vehicle voluntarily. And Mr Donnelly pointed out that mobility alternatives are dependent on the topography and the culture of each particular country.

The event finished off with informal networking.

The next International Fleet Meeting will take place on 6 March 2019.