SCMA-AMA-GMOA REGIONAL MEETING
HOLIDAY INN
SPRINGDALE, ARKANSAS
JULY 16-19, 2023
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Sunday, July 16
11:00 – 5:30 Registration
12:00 – 1:30 SCMA Board Meeting (include a light lunch)
1:45 – 3:15 AMA Board Meeting
3:30 – 5:00 GMOA Board Meeting
5:45 – 6:00 Board Coaches for Train Depot
7:00 Early Bird
Dinner and Entertainment aboard the A&M Train
Sponsored by the Explore Springdale/Experience Fayetteville
Transportation sponsored and provided by Village Travel
Monday, July 17
8:00 – 9:15 Breakfast
8:30 – 5:45 Registration
9:30 – 5:45 Education Sessions
9:30 – 10:30 Dispatch and Your Company’s Culture
Speaker: Chris Riddell, Deliverabilities
10:45 – 11:45 Drug and Alcohol Reasonable Suspicion Training
Speaker: Dan Tomlinson, Lancer Insurance Company
9:30 – 11:45 Associate Session: Flawless Delivery Hospitality Training
Speaker: Craig Johnston, Director of Workforce Development Training & Advocacy, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
12:00 – 1:30 Lunch
Speaker: Dr. Georgia Steele, Southern Region Field Administrator – FMCSA
1:45 – 5:15 Operator Sessions Continue
1:45 – 2:45 Operational Excellence: Having the Right People in the Right Place at the Right Time for Your Clients
Speaker: Jeff Shanker, Black Tie Transportation
3:00 – 4:00 Top Ten Rules of Dispatch
Panelists: Jeff Johnson, Village Travel
Bernard Pacheco, Dixieland Tours
4:15 – 5:15 What is Expected by the Finance Guys
Panelists: Tony Pederson, Motor Coach Industries
Ryan Gulan, Huntington Equipment Finance
1:45 – 5:15 Associate Sessions
1:45 – 2:45 New Member Orientation
Panelists: Julie Levengood, Tuscarawas County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Jeannie Sadaphal, The Ark Encounter
Mike Vescio, GMOA Associate Director, Discover DeKalb
3:00 – 4:15 “Mock” Market Place for Associates
Moderator: Mike Pittman, Sight & Sound Theatres
Operator: Suzanne Vaughn, Bus Supply Charters
Associate: Karen Matlock, Visit Mississippi
4:30 – 5:15 “Things that are working–2023”
Moderator: Mike Vescio
Panelists: Julie Pennington, Experience Fayetteville
Mike Pittman
Lucy Raheja, Fox Theatre
6:15 – 6:30 Board Coaches
7:00 Ice Breaker Dinner Event: Apollo on Emma
An iconic event venue of timeless beauty, restored into a 1940’s art deco space.
Sponsored Explore Springdale/Experience Fayetteville
Transportation sponsored and provided by Village Travel
9:30 – 11:00 Hospitality after event
Tuesday, July 18
7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast
8:15 – 5:30 Registration
8:30 – 10:30 Market Place I
10:45 – 11:30 Coach Presentations
11:30 – 12:30 Coach Visitation
10:45 – 12:15 Associate Session: The Future of Hospitality & Tourism
Speaker: Tami Reist, President/CEO, Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association
12:30 – 12:45 Board Coaches
All coaches return to the hotel by 5:30.
12:45 – 5:00 Golf at The Creeks Golf & RV Resort
Golf Coordinator: Tim O’Bryan, Service Insurance Agency
Beverage Cart sponsored by the Service Insurance Agency
Transportation sponsored and provided by Village Travel
12:45 – 5:00 Tours
Tour Lunch included, sponsored by Springdale/Fayetteville and their partners
Transportation sponsored and provided by Village Travel
Tour 1: Butterflies, Bombers and Blooms
You will have lunch at Mermaids, a local flavor here in town with a special guest. Then the next stop is Botanical Gardens Of the Ozarks, where you will have fun inside the butterfly house and enjoy the beautiful gardens with a highlight of musical storytelling. Next stop is the Arkansas Air and Military Museum to see planes, trains, and automobiles. While at the museum you will have the opportunity to walk through history, and take in a sampling of local beer during our “history happy hour” offering!
Tour 2: Shop until you drop
Enjoy Pinnacle Hills Promenade, upscale shopping, retail therapy, and local favors of the Ozarks. Lunch location to be determined.
Tour 3: Bentonville Backyard Billionaire
This tour will take you to the Museum of Native American History, The Momentary where you will have lunch, the 8thStreet Market, and Historic Bentonville Square. For a small town, Bentonville has more than their share of Rich & Famous. Starting with Sam Walton founder of Walmart, and let’s not forget to mention Tyson Poultry and JB Hunt Trucking. Maybe it’s something in the water. But you will be sure to find out once you get here!
Tour 4: Across the mountains, over a trestle bridge and through a tunnel
Come ride the full train trip, see the sights, and hear the tour. Then on the ride back hear representatives from the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, the Ozark Highlands Nature Center, and Arvest Ballpark share what Springdale has to offer. Come sample what Black Apple Cidery (the state’s only hard cidery) and Sassafras Winery & Vineyard have to offer and learn about what they make.
6:30 Reception
7:00 Awards Dinner
9:00 – 11:00 Hospitality after event
Wednesday, July 19
7:00 – 8:30 Networking Breakfast
Industry Update Panel Discussion
Panelists: Peter Pantuso, American Bus Association
Ken Presley, United Motorcoach Association
8:00 – 10:00 Registration
8:45 – 9:15 Display Booth Visitation
9:30 – 11:30 Market Place II
11:50 – 12:00 Board Coaches
Transportation sponsored and provided by Village Travel
Transportation will include a drop off at the airport in Bentonville after lunch.
12:30 – 1:30 Market Place Awards Lunch: Crystal Bridges, Bentonville.
Rookie of the Year
Associate of the Year
Operator of the Year