NAFA’s International Fleet Academy was created to demystify global fleet management with experts and panel discussions that provide valuable cost-saving strategies, offer strategic overviews of the differences among countries and cultures, inform attendees of the right questions to ask for the RFI-RFQ process, and present valuable lessons on how to decrease corporate liability by avoiding international insurance pitfalls.

Commenting on the success of this year’s event, NAFA’s executive director Phillip E Russo said: ‘We delivered a game-changing experience. The key to our success was in designing the event around fleet managers. Our concept was simple: gather many of the brightest minds in global fleet management and let them tell their own stories; what went right, what went wrong, what to anticipate, and what to avoid. The fleet managers in attendance told me they came expecting to learn, but they left with more than just knowledge. They left with real-life solutions, ideas that really work, and contacts that will prove invaluable. There’s nothing better than learning from colleagues in your industry that you trust!’

In addition to global fleet managers, attendees at NAFA’s International Fleet Academy also included companies that provide services to the industry. These suppliers provided valuable resources and perspectives to the hands-on, real-life experiences fleet managers shared.

‘One of the most important aspects of global fleet management is having a strong team of suppliers in each region,’ Mr Russo said. ’IFA allows the fleet managers to network with suppliers in both classroom and informal settings, so they can not only learn about the suppliers, but get to know them on a personal level as well.’