You might know it for its nicknames: Gateway to the West, Gateway City, or Mound City. You might know it for its sports teams: Major League Baseball's Cardinals or the NFL's Rams. You might know it for its attractions: The Gateway Arch and the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.
It's St. Louis, and the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) is returning there for the 46th annual convention and Work Truck Show March 9-12 after a 10-year absence.
View the schedule.“We know that organizations have to consider all travel costs very carefully,” says Allen Birmingham, NTEA Convention chairman and national sales manager of Tommy Gate Co in Phoenix, Arizona. “That's why the NTEA has been working overtime to ensure that The Work Truck Show is the one event fleet managers must attend in 2010. We've teamed up with the industry's leading companies to put together an unmatched lineup of training, new product launches and equipment that you just can't find anywhere else. If you can only make it to one show in 2010, make it The Work Truck Show.”
The Work Truck Show floor fills both America's Center and the Edward Jones Dome with Class 1-8 trucks, components, and specialized equipment from a diverse range of global manufacturers. Dozens of new products are launched at the Work Truck Show.
William Shatner will draw upon his nearly 60 years in show business to inspire and entertain attendees as keynote speaker at the President's Breakfast and NTEA Annual Meeting on Thursday, March 11, from 7:30 am-9:15 am.
Shatner may be most famous for originating the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the Star Trek television series in the 1960s and seven Star Trek movies, but he went on to play the title role in the television series T.J. Hooker and hosted television's first reality-based series, Rescue 911, for six seasons. He has won Emmy and Golden Globe awards for his role as eccentric law firm partner Denny Crane on two television series, The Practice and Boston Legal. Although he currently hosts Shatner's Raw Nerve, a celebrity interview series on the Biography channel, Shatner may be most familiar on television these days in commercials as celebrity spokesman for Priceline.com.
He's also a best-selling author, with more than two dozen novels and nonfiction books. His latest book is his autobiography, Up Till Now. His new comic book series, William Shatner Presents, debuted in May 2009.
“We are really looking forward to William Shatner's keynote presentation,” says Jim Carney, NTEA executive director. “With his background, he is singularly qualified to demonstrate to our members and attendees that you can have more than one success in life and in business, if you work to move past your fears. He knows from experience that there is life after Captain Kirk.”
The Green Truck Summit, held March 9 from 8:30 am-5 pm and March 10 from 8 am-noon, is produced by two of the leading organizations driving the development and deployment of “green” technology for fleet vehicles: The NTEA and CALSTART.
The NTEA launched The Green Truck Summit as a one-day Special Session at The Work Truck Show 2007 and has held it in this format for the last three years. CALSTART has offered its annual Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Conference since 2000. As part of the agreement between the two organizations, the Clean Heavy Duty Vehicle Conference will be incorporated into the Green Truck Summit starting in 2010. The Green Truck Summit will be expanded to a day-and-a-half program to accommodate the increased content and networking opportunities that will be available to the industry.
“For many years, CALSTART and the NTEA have worked together and collaborated as part of various working groups and have participated in each other's annual events,” Carney says. “Through recent discussions, we have determined that jointly developing a single educational conference will provide greater benefits for the industry and will be more effective in increasing the understanding of the latest technologies available.”
To maximize the benefits of co-locating the Green Truck Summit with The Work Truck Show, CALSTART will also host a Clean Technology and Fuels Pavilion as part of the show floor. This pavilion will showcase new exhibitors that are focused on advanced clean technologies and fuels, including small and medium-sized bus manufacturers.
Jack Roush, chairman of Roush Enterprises and CEO/co-owner of NASCAR team Roush Fenway Racing, will be one of the keynote speakers. Roush's address with Roy Willis, president and CEO of the Propane Education and Research Council, will be one of 25 sessions on clean technologies and alternative fuels for work trucks presented at the Green Truck Summit.
The Anheuser-Busch Brewery will be the focus of optional tours March 10 and March 11 (9:30 am, 10:15 am, 11 am, 11:45 am, 12:30 pm, and 1 pm). The Anheuser-Busch Brewery in St. Louis is the flagship operation of this world-famous brewer, with a complex of buildings covering 100 acres along the Mississippi Riverfront. The tour features the beechwood aging cellars, the historic Brew House, and the Bevo packaging plant. A film about the brewing process and a close-up view of the famous Budweiser Clydesdales are highlights of the tour, as is the sampling room of Anheuser-Busch products.
In the Fleet Management Symposium from 8:30 am-4:30 pm on March 9, consultant Kelly Walker, president of Kelly Walker Associates in Dallas, Texas, teaches methods to drastically improve fleet and shop productivity while reducing costs.
Fleet management professionals are also invited to an exclusive Training Session & Networking Luncheon to find out “What's Wildly Important — Using Data to Manage Fleet Costs” on March 11 from 11:30 am-1:30 pm. Steve Saltzgiver, director of the State of Georgia Office of Fleet Management, will share ideas and success stories about reducing and controlling fleet costs.
Some of the other educational sessions designed for fleet managers include: Fleet Management Survival Strategies for the Next Decade, Optimizing Work Truck Body and Equipment Design, Trailer and Towing Factors for Class 1-4 Trucks, and Spec'ing Truck Chassis to Match Job Requirement and Optimize Performance.
View the schedule.