James Blain 0:26

Hello everybody and welcome back to a other exciting episode of the Ground Train Station podcast. Really excited about today's episode. I have got Ken Lucci, my co-host with me, couldn't be more excited to be doing it together again. Just another amazing Friday. Ken, say hello to everybody.

Ken Lucci 0:42

James, I've missed you terribly. you've been missed in the last few podcasts. I've tried to do my level best, but I don't have your, your broadcast savvy. So I'm so happy that you're here today.

James Blain 0:56

Well, and, and for those that don't know, I think I speak for both of us. When I say we love doing the episodes, Friday's kind of our big thing, but when we do those solo episodes, it always kind of feels like something's missing. And I, yeah, I, I couldn't be more excited. And not only that, we've got a return guest, so we have someone that's used to our shenanigans that's ready to absolutely knock it outta the park. Today we've got Chris Weiss from TRO for Griffin. Welcome back to the podcast Chris.

Chris Weiss 1:22

Thank you gentlemen for having me. Appreciate it greatly.

James Blain 1:25

So

Ken Lucci 1:26

I feel a little bit under though.

James Blain 1:29

I gotta tell you, so, so for those of you that are listening in your car right at home, Chris is wearing a beautiful baby blue suit jacket. He's got a beautiful White Press shirt. You know, Ken and I are in collared shirts, but we, we just don't cut the mustard when it comes to the look that Chris is sporting.

Ken Lucci 1:45

there's a level of ua Ebola on that side of the, uh, it looks fantastic, so

James Blain 1:50

It, it really looks sharp. You're looking good, Chris.

Chris Weiss 1:53

Thank you. Thank you. I'll have to give, I have to give a shout out to Jason Sharon now. It was, uh, his custom tailor that, that put this together for me. So big shout out to Jason.

James Blain 2:03

Nice looking out. Jason.

Ken Lucci 2:05

Really? Okay. So at the last show I was wear, I was wearing a suit and I was lamenting the fact that I didn't like the way it fit. And Jason Chernow touches the collar and he is like, he says to, and then only the way, Jason, can I, I'll introduce you to my tailor.

Chris Weiss 2:23

you

Ken Lucci 2:23

So now I see, I see. It's worthwhile. Absolutely.

Chris Weiss 2:27

It is. I mean, I, I always get suits, custom fit but not custom tailored like this. This was bespoke really nice.

James Blain 2:36

something to be said, right? I got really lucky when I was, when I was in my early twenties, one of my best friends that I, I came to know very well as a tailor, right? And was mom owned tailor shop. And I will tell you, as soon as you start wearing suits that are actually tailored, it's like putting on a well-fitting glove. It will ruin every other suit for you, but the way you feel, right? I can just see it on Chris right now, the way you feel. When you've got a sharply tailored suit, it, it changes something. It really does.

Chris Weiss 3:02

That's

Ken Lucci 3:03

Yeah,

Chris Weiss 3:03

Jason said the

Ken Lucci 3:04

Remember 85, 5% of the battle in coming to work is how you look.

James Blain 3:08

Yep. How you look impacts how you feel. We, teach that all the time to chauffeur. If you don't look the part, if you're not sharply dressed, you don't feel sharply dressed, it will change how you feel just by how you think you look and how you actually look.

Ken Lucci 3:23

A hundred percent. Well, welcome again, Chris.

Chris Weiss 3:27

Thank you. Yeah. I must admit, I don't, I don't dress like this every day, but for you gentlemen.

James Blain 3:31

Oh boy. Here it comes. Flattery will get you everywhere. so we're, we're really excited to have you back because that means that showtime again, and this for a lot of us is a very exciting time of year. So, Chris, push outta our misery. What, what are we so excited about? What's coming?

Chris Weiss 3:49

well, this venue for our, you know, upcoming Dallas fall show is just a fantastic venue that, it's Gaylor Texan. And we did a show there coming outta COVID in 21 and it, was, um, a medium sized attendance versus what our normal attendance is. So super stoked to do this as a full run, full attendance, probably double what that attendance was. And this is out of the Gaylord properties that we've hosted events at. This is my favorite. has a, great nighttime venue. Uh, it's just. You know, a super convenient, uh, location, you know, regarding just 10 minutes from the airport, maybe 20 minutes from downtown Dallas, and everything's all under one roof. I'm excited to be back at this property in particular.

James Blain 4:37

Oh, it's, it's a great, great

Ken Lucci 4:39

and the schedule looks great.

James Blain 4:40

Yeah.

Chris Weiss 4:41

It's solid from beginning to end. I mean, we, we, uh. Something that is new for this show is we have limo anywhere on Saturday doing a full day of sessions and, you know, user group meetings. And so that enabled us to then even free up more time on the schedule on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday to just light it up with just really killer content. Um, the education committee, the show education committee co-chaired by again, Jason Chernow and Carl Gunther. Has just absolutely crushed it. this year in particular, we, we have hired more outside speakers and expertise than we normally do, and it really shows on just a, a super robust schedule.

James Blain 5:27

Yeah.

Ken Lucci 5:28

hundred percent. I mean, we, we. Listen, the schedules are, are always great, but this is a, pretty critical year and one of the sessions that caught my eye was the results of, or the implications of the big beautiful bill on our industry. And, and everybody has to know it. They, they, if they don't, they're missing out on, you know, one of the, the only gifts the government gives business, small businesses, which is depreciation and, but I think that the read on that is gonna be. Incredible. and I know that, you know, Mike Rose, was instrumental in the, in the shuttle program, shuttle operations. And if you are going to, if you're going to get your business to the next step, has to be by delivering the next level of service That might be outta your comfort level. now, but the opportunities are in every single market. So this is definitely the place to pick up that kind of education.

Chris Weiss 6:22

Yeah. and that session, the big beautiful bill is being moderated by Becky Laramie, who is not only. Uh, very successful operator up in the Boston area, but she's also an accountant, so, um, She gets the numbers and the speaker that, she's gonna be moderating, this session is, is gonna be really enlightening and, and super dialed in.

James Blain 6:44

Well, and the fact you've got two people there, right? And, and let's just, I've always known her as Becky from Boston. So Becky Laramie will always be Becky from Boston to me. But you know, Becky by herself. Could lead that could teach you, that could simpl. I mean, she's got a way with explaining things and the way she teaches people things. I have learned tons from Becky, right? Every chance I have to sit and hang out with her, there's tons to be learned there. So the fact that it's not just her, she's moderating that session means that that's gonna be an absolute powerhouse. I mean, that is going to be invaluable.

Chris Weiss 7:17

it will be. And, and she's presented for us before on taxes. She's, you know, a valued part of the show education committee, and she just, yeah, she crushes it every time,

Ken Lucci 7:26

She's dialed in on tax. That's, that's definitely so, and the other piece of it is talk about the mentoring program, is that all subscribed fully?

Chris Weiss 7:34

well, the mentoring program's not, full yet. It, it typically doesn't fill up until post Labor Day. And, and we also usually leave some empty spots for people who say they didn't see all the marketing that you have to preregister and they get to the show and they didn't register. So we know that's always gonna happen. So, you know, we leave a few spots open. Typically by, you know, 30 days out from the show, all of the spots are filled. There's, you know, a handful of mentors that are filling up pretty quickly, some of the bigger names, and it's just an incredible experience every single year. The feedback we get from the attendees who, who are there, the mentors and everyone participating is, uh, equally positive mentors. We'll say that they get as much out of it as the, you know, mentees who attend. And we've been running this program for, I wanna say, a dozen years now. And, you know, every time that I think that there might be some shelf life to it, just, everyone else sees it differently and says, this is just a, a, a jewel that we have to keep into the program. And, you know, we tweak it every so often to try to keep it fresh. The concept of state, pretty much the same for the last dozen years.

James Blain 8:51

But I gotta tell you, it comes up almost every episode. Ken, I don't know that we've done an episode yet. Where mentorship in one form or another hasn't been brought up. I think we hear time and time again that the most successful people in the industry are the ones that are networking, are the ones that have mentorship, are the ones that find people within the industry to help them move forward. Ken, I don't, I don't know that there's anything that we found throughout this podcast that is maybe even at that level of importance.

Ken Lucci 9:21

No, I mean, I, I'm a firm believer, number one in, mentors in life as well as mentors in business. And, uh, definitely think CEO groups are critical. 20 groups are critical, but you know, these conferences take it to another level. The conferences. And it's funny, I was talking to an operator. He happens to be from Dallas and he booked 30 minutes with me and I, and he wants to know how to grow his business. He's a one to five car operator. I think he said he has three vehicles or four vehicles. And I said, listen, you know, we are, we do a financial reviews and profit analysis. You might, it, the program might be a little bit too big for you. Are you gonna go to the, the October show? And he said, geez, I, I didn't realize it was in Dallas. And, and, and I I'm with you Chris. I, I see the marketing. So I sent him the registration and, and I said, the best possible thing you can do is, go to the conference with an agenda. If you get specific questions, you're asking me how do I grow my business from one to three to five cars, get it to the next level. can walk around and find a hundred people more qualified than me at the show, at the conference to teach you that. I've seen, look, I've been around this in for, since, I don't know, 2005, 2006. The conferences are at a different level now. To me, the education sessions and the quality of the education and the time. No one in this industry has an excuse for being left in the dark unless they want to be. This is a very sharing industry.

Chris Weiss 10:53

I was gonna say this. I was just gonna say that, Ken. So we're talking about the mentor program. We purposely do that on Sunday, the opening day of the show, so that for the remainder of the show, you've kind of built this foundation of, you know, people that you can rely on, lean on, um, attend events with, especially for the newbies in the first timers who, um, you know, the, the show can be overwhelming and intimidating too. So that first day they get an opportunity to not only get a mentor, but there's another seven or eight people at the table of all different shapes and sizes, and, you know, years within the space. And they build this little network as the event starts. And, you know, it's just proven to be invaluable. like I said, we've been doing this for about a dozen years and there are groups from years ago that still keep in touch with each other. you know, as their table group that they, you know, still communicate, still ask each other questions, and it just built a lot of relationships over the years.

James Blain 11:53

So, Chris, you know, I, I think we might have some listeners that have either not been involved in the mentor program or, or maybe hearing this for the first time. you know, we've, we've kind of danced around it, like they know what we're talking about. I'd love if you can kind of give us, you know, if you are brand new, if you're hearing about the mentor program for the first time, what does it look like, how do they get into it? And then what happens in the actual room?

Chris Weiss 12:14

Okay. Yeah, so we set it up where we. Put together a roster of roughly 25 mentors, and we give, all of our attendees the ability to sign up. You have to pre-register for it for a specific mentor, and each mentor has a table. And at that table it's roughly another seven or eight people. So it might be eight or nine people total at the table, 10 max. And you have this opportunity to ask questions, pick the brains. Share information, tips, tricks, nuances, you know, mistakes. good, the bad, the ugly with other operators that are of maybe the same size, different size larger than you. It's, it's a, you know, it's a giant mix and everyone learns from each other. So not, not only are you learning and building this relationship with a mentor. Who you can lean on for, not, you know, the length of the show, but then well, well beyond. But you're building these, relationships with others and, you know, you have this great opportunity to, just constantly pick their brains. And as, as you said, this is an industry that just loves to share. And it's something that I, every time I see, you know, someone who has the first time attendee badge at the show, that's the first thing I will tell them is. You don't realize just how willing everyone in this convention is to share information, and if you just introduce yourself and start up a conversation you're guaranteed to, get valuable information and advice from people who you just wouldn't expect It's everywhere. It's in every corner of the show.

Ken Lucci 14:01

And if you see somebody and meet somebody at the show, you see 'em as a speaker. They're usually also at the casual events and at the bar at night, and you ask 'em specific questions. You know, the mo, the most important thing to me is you, if you have four or five key issues you're concerned with write 'em down and. Ask different people how they're dealing with it, you're not in a vacuum, you're not all alone. And that's something in this industry that doesn't happen in other sectors. It just doesn't. And it's, I get a call the, the other day from a, from a coach builder. Who said, listen, you know, one of my customers is struggling with pricing this new vehicle that I sold him. You know, can I have him call And I'm, of course you can have him call me. Absolutely. Get on the phone with the guy. The, and you know, the guy bought it. He seemingly, he, you know, he might have a plan, but I said, listen. Here's what I recommend, but you also have to come to Dallas. You have to talk to people who've got the same kind of vehicles and develop a marketing plan and a business plan. I can help you on the cost, I can help you on the pricing, but really what is your plan to move this vehicle? So, you know, at the end of the day, you get out of these conferences, what you put into them.

Chris Weiss 15:16

Yeah, it's not unlike the gym. You know, you join up for a gym membership and you don't go, you're not gonna get much out of it. But, you know, if you go and, and you maximize it and you really, take advantage of all the opportunities. these shows are building blocks. Not only is it, you know, the networking great and at every corner and you have this, you know, ability to build relationships. But back to the educational program and we cover so many different topics that are, completely relevant to your success. And you know, whether it's finding profit leaks or it's a session on AI or it's a session on, distracted driving where we

James Blain 15:56

I was exci. I was excited to see that one.

Chris Weiss 15:58

really pumped for that session in in particular because, you know, everyone thinks that they can multitask and you know, handle their phone or their food and, and still drive and still be safe. But, all of the studies and evidence prove the absolute contrary and. we're gonna have all of that data at the event. So it's, it, it's gonna be fantastic. I'm, I'm actually looking forward to that session as much as any of them.

Ken Lucci 17:26

we sent out a, survey to our clients on some specific subjects just to tease the surveys that we're gonna be doing together. We'll talk about that later. But 75% of 'em, of all operators of all size say the biggest concern is the cost of insurance and the two are, connected at the hip.

Chris Weiss 17:45

Inter.

Ken Lucci 17:46

it's intertwined the safety aspect and the changing driver behavior. Quick true story, I put cameras in my car. I had a situation where it was road rage incident, and James, I didn't cause it. So just anyway,

James Blain 18:01

That's shocking.

Ken Lucci 18:02

and the cam and the guy says to me, do you want a camera inside the car? I'm like, sure. I was shocked the number of times I looked down. The number of times I look at the dog, the number of times I look at my phone, if I hear it ping you can't change the behavior unless it hits you in the face. And the worst thing to do is to go through life saying, well, I haven't had an accident. I'm not a distracted driver. I was shocked. And it's, direct connection with the fleet insurance crisis, and everybody in the industry has to be hyper-focused on safety and how to improve the driver safety, but also change bad behaviors. So I think it's critical. The other one that hit me was the how do you get out of the driver's seat go from a driver mentality to an owner mentality. Leading your company. Leading your business. I think that, you know, I've starred the ones I'm gonna sit in on because they are, that critical. I see so many smaller operators that are still have the driver mentality. They don't have the owner mentality. They're not focused on things that an owner should be doing. So to say the schedule is action packed? Is, is absolutely, yeah. That's an understatement.

Chris Weiss 19:16

That, that topic becomes a bit of a trap. You know, when you, when you stay behind the wheel and you know, if, actually surprising how many, larger and successful operators still are behind the wheel from time to time. It, it, it surprises me.

James Blain 19:30

I think, I think it's really important to note here that a lot of this is intertwined and a lot of this is, is also balance related. You know, if, an owner is going out behind the wheel, once every six months or once a year at a certain point, that's good because they keep that link back to where they started, what's going on ground level. 'cause as someone that deals with training and operations, I've seen both sides of the spectrum. I've seen the ownership that is. Not working on the business 'cause they're in the business driving every day. But I've also seen the ownership that got out from behind the wheel has gotten so do are down the road that they almost start to kind of forget what it's like to be behind the wheel. And so I think there's a really good balance that you have to draw there between staying connected to every role and every employee in the company. And understanding that all of these things are intertwined. You know, Ken made a great point about the distracted driving Look, if you've got issues with distracted driving, if you've got issues there, part of that also comes back to that owner mindset of, okay, I've gotta make this a focus for the company. If you are focusing too much on any one area and you're not watching the bigger picture as an owner. That can be just as dangerous. So I think a lot of these are really linked in a way that as ownership, as management, you've gotta be able to manage and focus and be able to of work on each area one at a time and cycle through them.

Ken Lucci 20:59

a, it's a balanced schedule too. It's not, it's not. I think, you know, this year's gonna be interesting. I, I'm looking forward to Vegas as well. and before we go any further, what, can you tease the dates? Do you know the dates yet?

Chris Weiss 21:12

Yeah, of course. They, they were, in mid to late February, but we had this opportunity to push them away from UMA, which we were right on top of each other last year.

James Blain 21:25

Oh yeah, that was a tough one.

Chris Weiss 21:26

Yeah, it was inconvenient for everybody. And so it's March 1st through third, and we're at the MGM, which everyone's excited that we're back there again.

Ken Lucci 21:35

Absolutely.

Chris Weiss 21:36

And, the floor plans is already out. We've pretty much finalized a, a rough schedule, not, you know, with the actual sessions in yet. But, yeah, with, uh, this show being, you know, only, uh, you know, a four month or so turnaround from the fall show, we're pretty deep into it already.

Ken Lucci 21:54

I like the difference in vibe though. I think I like the vibe of the fall show. I mean, obviously we're, we're doing, uh, the intro to the state of the industry, but to me, Let's, talk a little bit about that. The state of the industry is, my intro is gonna be a little bit different this year because I'm gonna be pulling data from a new program that, chauffeur driven and driving transactions is doing Monthly we're gonna be sending out surveys to operators to try to figure out the sentiment, not only just the sentiment, but true data of what's going on in the market, in each market. so we'll be talking a little bit further about that. We're gonna do a press release on that. We'll be talking about the highlights of the first surveys that are gonna go out. I always find the fall is a good time to get a pulse for what's, going on for the year. And then also everybody's anticipating at that time you're anticipating the next year, which is slides us right into Vegas.

Chris Weiss 22:50

And, and Vegas is, and obviously it's, it's our, you know, most highly attended show. it has a, a, a larger international contingency, but the fall show is a little bit more intimate and, you know, you just get a little bit more opportunity to connect with people than, than you do in Vegas. Vegas. It's moving fast.

Ken Lucci 23:11

It is a whirlwind.

Chris Weiss 23:12

It's a whirlwind and you, you've got one eye on the person you're talking to and, and one eye on the, the periphery and everyone else that's, uh, kind of cruising by and the schedule's so jam packed just don't get as much intimate time as you do on the fall show I would say that that's the biggest difference and we try to keep the programming slightly different too. The, the mentoring program is really a, a false specific event and, and by design. yeah, you know, we host a women in the industry networking event, typically in the fall. And, you know, we, we try to keep the shows a little bit different so that they're not exactly the same.

James Blain 23:47

but you nailed it.

Ken Lucci 23:48

yeah, they, they, both of them. You hit the, you hit the nail on the head. The, the Vegas show is more international and you get a more drinking water, from a, uh, a fire hydrant mentality because there's so much going on. Just that everything. one of the other, things I saw here that I think that a lot of us in the industry need to get back to focusing on is, you know, going from just. Average to excellent. And it's actually the title, consistency transforms Average to Excellence. And if you wanna talk about the best competitive differentiator that we have against any competitor. Whether it's a newbie in the business who's pricing wrong and offering his price is too low, or the biggest competitors in the TNC space or the aggregator space, consistency and superior customer service protects you over price every single time. So I, I'm looking forward to it. I mean, there's, I've starred a, a bunch of the schedule to make sure that I don't have any conflict so I can sit in because I get a lot out of these things. to me it's also gauging the audience. I don't know how you can take yourself seriously and invest in a, an industry without going to the shows because it is your best education.

Chris Weiss 26:13

It's building blocks. I mean, it's, a crash course. Like where else are you possibly gonna get that this, you know, this type of content you know, crammed into a, multi-day period, you know, getting the opportunity to meet so many people, Also decompress, blow off steam. We have, you know, a couple of really fun parties. there's also lunches included. Breakfast is included. We got open bars at, at a bunch of different events. So it's just super well-rounded to not only learn network, but you can, you know, blow off a little steam too.

James Blain 26:46

Well, and I think one of the key things, at least for me when I started attending the shows is you also have to think about this concept that. You are bringing all of these people that have reached all of these levels of success in the industry. Right? I remember I was sitting in a steakhouse one night, some of my mentors, right? Charlie and Athena had taken me out and I'm looking around the table and you've got some of the largest names in the business, right? Between the people at this one table. You've got a huge chunk of business. You've got an incredible wealth of knowledge. And I just remember thinking to myself and and looking across and going. Almost any answer you could possibly think of in business is probably sitting at this table, right? Anything that you could come up with, and this is one of the few times that you've got everyone there together at the table sharing all of those things, right? And I can tell you. the first couple times that I went to shows just sitting at that dinner table or being at an event like that and not saying a word I, I mean at that point, you know, brand new to the industry, you might not have anything to contribute yet. But I just remember sitting there and mentally taking notes and trying to absorb and taking as much as you can. And it really comes down to, and we've talked about this in the past, the mindset that you have to have. Going into these events, there's so many people that come in with, Hey, I want to pitch. Hey, I wanna tell my story. Hey, I wanna do this. But I have found that a lot of times when I have gotten the most value is when I'm quiet and I listen and I'm able to absorb and take in kind what's around me. And I think that's something that you just, you are not going to get at anywhere in your local market. You're only gonna get that at a National Lever show. You're only gonna get that by being there.

Ken Lucci 28:32

You know what it's like. It's like being in the National Restaurant Association and having the president of. Outback Steakhouse walking around and being able to ask him questions. Every network operator's there, every owner goes 999 out of a thousand people. If you said, you know, I'd like to pick your brain for 30 seconds. Can I do that? Or, I have a quick question for you.

Chris Weiss 28:54

Even competitors. It's

James Blain 28:55

Yeah.

Ken Lucci 28:56

Absolutely. Now, James, you brought up something. If I'm, relatively new to the shows, I think the worst thing you can do is shove your business card in people's faces and it, expect them to send you business. Maybe there's an entitlement kind of mentality that carries over from the rest of society. It doesn't work that way. It doesn't work that way.

James Blain 29:20

It's the exact same right now. I'm gonna be a little crass for a second, right? Just 'cause I want to get this point across. Imagine if you walked up to someone and said, Hey, nice shoes, let's go home together. And then tomorrow morning we'll get married. Like,

Ken Lucci 29:32

doesn't, that doesn't work.

James Blain 29:33

yeah, exactly. Now, if you're,

Ken Lucci 29:35

didn't work for you and your wife?

James Blain 29:36

look, look, you play the law numbers, eventually you'll get something right? But my, my point here is you think of doing that and other aspects of society and it's like, well, that's stupid. Why would you do that? Time and time again, I see people that will just shove a card in your hand, Hey, I'm in dc. Call me. Who the hell are you one? Like, I have no idea who you are. Why would I call you? Right? There's, there's. You've got to take the time to invest in getting to know people, getting to find out who they are, and then yeah, you can't just walk up to someone and go, here's my card. Call me now. To a certain extent, there is a little bit of time and place because if you are at an affiliate central event. Your, your whole reason for being there is that's your elevator pitch. Hey, I'm James. I'm here in Kansas City. I have, you know, x, y, Z company. You know, that might be what you're doing at that event because time and place dictates it. But trying to get as many cards in the hands of an as many different people as possible is not gonna build an effective brand. It's not gonna build a reputation. You have to genuinely want to build connections and relationships and get to know people and earn. Their trust and respect, not think that just putting a card in their hand is gonna get it. Sorry, you put me on a soapbox here. That one drives me

Ken Lucci 30:54

So the Affiliate Central, you bring it up for anybody who hasn't been there. The affiliate, central Global Partnership Forum is 1145 to one 30 on Tuesday, and it, it's a great place to meet people and maybe give a just a 30 seconds of who you are and introduce yourself to me. More than anything, it's to find out. Who is sending business in your area and perhaps queue up future conversations. You cannot sit there and have a 10 minute conversation about your capability. Do I think you should have a business card? Would I be impressed if you gave me. a uh, rack card. I'd actually be a little bit more impressed with your, if your business card had a QR code on it where I could see it. So all I'm carrying is the business card. But that forum also, it is a great place to see where all the network businesses, it's a great place to see who's looking for. Who's looking for providers, but to your point, James, they're not gonna, if they have three people in their Kansas City list that A and a B and a C, where they have one, two, or three, and they're rotating, they're not gonna throw you on their list sight unseen. So it's a good introduction for future communication. Um,

Chris Weiss 32:15

And that is, that is actually one of the few events that we do at both shows because it's just so powerful. And the Vegas one is a little bit larger in scale because we have a, a larger international presence. But even the fall shows, affiliate central forum is massive. And yeah, sometimes it's also about finding partners as opposed to getting the affiliate business. So it really cuts both ways. And know, like the mentoring program, it's been running for over a dozen years and it just, gets better. it gets larger in scale. We've, we've actually had to add a little time to it. Especially in Vegas because you can't even get around the room. It's so jam packed and robust it's, uh, we call it like the staple of the show. the content, the networking, you know, those are the anchors. But the one event that runs through, all shows that we do is the affiliate event. it makes a difference.

James Blain 33:12

And I think one of the key things, right? You know, and this is really important to understand, it's, it's easier when you think about it kind of like a vendor. If I went to the show and went to every single person said, Hey, I'm Pax training, you need training, here's my card. Right? That doesn't make a lot of sense. Now, if I'm at my booth and someone comes up and says, Hey, I'd like to learn about training, great. I'm James. Guess what? I'm still not gonna be like, here's my card, buy my. Great. Tell me about, you know, what you're looking for. Tell me about how we can help you. Again, trying to build a relationship. I think it's really important. For people that are doing Affiliate Central to understand you are in that same space. When you are at your table at Affiliate Central, people might be looking for someone in your area or they might be looking for affiliates, but when they come to you, you still wanna try and say, Hey, you know, great. You know, my name is James and we do this, and you know, tell me about what you do. Tell me about what you're looking for. Because the best partners. Are not the ones that wanna shove the card in your hand and say, Hey, I wanna do the work. Yeah. Yeah. Hey, how do I become a good partner for you?

Chris Weiss 34:15

Yeah. And, and, and that's why we do it more than once a year because it just gives that repetition to come back and, and either meet new people or, you know, reinforce that you're committed to this space and that you're not, you know, a fly by night. You're here to stay. And, and yeah. And maybe an operator, you know, a large scale operator in a large market might have their one, two, and three in, in other cities. You just never know what could happen and you never know how you could get on that list.

James Blain 34:46

Yeah.

Ken Lucci 34:47

And it's your opportunity to pick up a business card and build your own database of future prospects.

James Blain 34:55

So let me ask you, Chris, 'cause I'd love to get your opinion on this. If you are going to the affiliate central event, whether you've been there before, first time, hundredth time, how does someone get the most out of it? And I'd love if you can give it to us from the standpoint of if you're working your table or if you're in there, you know, and obviously vendors aren't allowed. So Ken and I have been watching from the sidelines, so since you're in there, we'd love to kind of be able to have you lay this out for us of how do you get the most value and provide the most value from each side.

Chris Weiss 35:25

I would say that it. You need more than one person, you know, for starters. So you know, at your table, especially, for the Vegas show, it just gets so intense. You'd wanna have two people, at least at your table. I would also of course, suggest having a third person. Or if you only have two people, then it would be one person at the table and the other person walking around the room making connections. Doing it in a strategic way, it's challenging to get to every table. So, you know, ahead of time we publish the list. Everyone, you know, has a sense of who's gonna be there, who's got tables, and you could kind of, you know, go around and spearfish, you know, target the people that you want to target an effective way is to divide and conquer. and then also, of course, you have to have enough, person power at the table. Minimally. One, it's always better to have two because if you're engaged in a conversation, someone could walk up, it could be a really, you know, good potential affiliate and they might not stand there for five minutes while you have a conversation. So, you know, it's nice to have that backup and so, you know, that way you can, um, you know, just take advantage of all the opportunities that that are there, because genuinely there is a thousand plus people in that room all looking to do the same thing. Either build their network or get more inbound affiliate work.

James Blain 36:47

Right short but meaningful.

Chris Weiss 36:49

yeah.

Ken Lucci 36:50

and slow and steady wins that race. I, sometimes I'll talk to people right after the event and it is too over. overwhelming for them, but it should give you a pretty good idea of who's doing the global work. If you are looking to be a provider in a specific city, but never forget that just because they have two or three people on the list. There may end up being a merger or an acquisition where they need a provider because that provider is, you know, out of business or there's a change in the marketplace. But also you may add a piece of equipment that their primaries don't have. my perspective on affiliate, has changed 180 degrees since I started doing what I, I do in 18. I didn't do a ton of affiliate work in Florida, and part of it was I had a really bad experience with a, a, a big network that, that, the company I bought, they, they let the bill. rack up a big bill and it was a little bit difficult to get paid, but I made the mistake of throwing the baby out with the bath water. Well, looking back at that, that was probably one of the most critical mistakes I made because you cannot get to true efficiency on your own. And if you are building a nice business in your marketplace and your vehicle is leaving the airport empty every single time, or your vehicle is down for three hours in the middle of the day, the affiliate work, Taking in quality affiliate work is an exceptional way to build efficiency, to improve your profitability, right? Because if you can do one or two more trips a day. you're adding to the efficiency of your equipment, you're adding to, the profitability of the day. The revenue per day. So it's a critical piece of the business. the other thing I'm seeing on, on the schedule. Is some nice sales and marketing stuff. In other words, some pretty quality, market techniques that drive results, sales techniques, how to use LinkedIn. that's kind of another frustration of mine is when I hear people, well, I'm, I'm spending 4,000 a month on PPC and it's not working.

James Blain 38:58

Just handing it right to Google.

Ken Lucci 39:00

Right, and no offense, I mean, you know, Google owes Waymo, so there's another reason why necessarily you don't wanna do that all the time. But I'm happy to see that It's really well-rounded. I was talking to Doug Schwartz the other day and he was telling me how great it it, it's coming together and it does. It looks great.

James Blain 39:17

This might be the, the most well balanced agenda. I think we've had in a very long time and I, I mean that in a great way in terms of what we have. We've had great agendas in the past, but I think just in terms of where the industry is going and key metrics, I think anyone that, doesn't spend the time on the education years missing out.

Chris Weiss 39:35

Agreed. I mean, we, take a lot of feedback from surveys as to what to deliver within the sessions and you know, one of the things that we. The feedback that we got is more outside expertise, more outside speakers, and so we really decided to dial that up for the show. And, this is, uh, kind of foreshadowing for what you can expect in the future as well.

Ken Lucci 39:59

an operator called me the other day and said, you know, I'm thinking about buying a very specific kind of a vehicle. He's thinking about buying a jet sprinter. And I'm like, look, I do have clients that have them, but you know, within 60 days he, he's gonna buy it at the show. I said. If it were me, I would look at people who already have the jet. ask the, the manufacturer who's already bought them and set up some times to talk to them at at the show, you know, and pick their brain about how they maximize the revenue of that vehicle. Sure. I will get you a couple of customers and ask if they'll spend some time with you, but you are literally going to be in the fishbowl. There, you're going to be there and you should ask the guy selling you the equipment. Who else has got one like it? And set up multiple appointments. that's the other thing is as an operator and a vendor, these shows take a lot of preparation to get the most out of them. You just don't

James Blain 40:58

You. Yeah. You can't just show up.

Ken Lucci 41:01

You have to have an agenda of what you want to accomplish.

Chris Weiss 41:04

For sure not only with picking the sessions that you wanna attend, because some of 'em are concurrent, also deciding who you wanna see, in the affiliate event. But then when you get to the show floor, it's the same thing if, if you don't have an actual plan. It might be challenging to get to every single vendor there. So, you know, you have to have a strategy and you have to make sure that you're, you know, checking off the most important places that you need to be and then, you know, filling in the gaps afterwards.

Ken Lucci 41:33

And I, I never refuse, and I know James, you're the same way. If somebody contacts me before the show and says, you know, I'd really like to spend 15 minutes with you. Well, first of all, it's not on the show floor, right? Because, you know, we, we both, we both are next to each other a lot of times, and we'll see the lines forming, but I'll always make appointments with people, kind of off to the side in a quiet area. It's a tremendous opportunity to do that. So that if you've wanted to talk to, another provider, hey, make the appointment in advance. Make sure you have the cell phone numbers of people that you want to talk to, to get the most out of it. You know, I hear a lot that, the, the conference is expensive. I'm just gonna go to a, you know, maybe a lesser state show or, something else. And like, there's just no, there's no comparison and return on investment.

James Blain 42:22

Well, and it's, it's time and place, right?

Ken Lucci 42:25

It's totally time and place.

James Blain 42:27

I think. the other thing though is you have to understand the differences in scale and the differences in what you're getting, right? So I will share with, with you guys and with our listeners this year, almost every single month. I have been on the road for two or three shows almost every month of the year, and what you see at the local level is a lot more local regionalized issues. They're working on things that don't make sense to tackle at the national level. What's happening at your local airport does not make sense for them to have a big discussion on. At the national level. So you have to think of what you are getting from each level and your representation. So if they're local, regional, city, state issues, that's where your local association is gonna tackle it. When you're at the national show, you really have to pull back and think big picture. You have to kind of be looking at all of it. And it goes back a little bit to kind of what Chris said earlier about the two different shows. When I'm at a Vegas show, my mentality, my feel, my. I know that I have to be short and intentional and I'm gonna touch more people. Whereas in Dallas, I can spend more time. But look, there's been times I'm having conversations at airports. I was in Minnesota, earlier this year at an event and someone wanted to talk to me. We had a chance to exchange cards. Well, I had happened to drive up to that show, so of course driving back, what am I doing? I'm doing all the follow ups, all the calls, all the people I wasn't able to reach. And so we had that block of time there. But I think being intentional and kind of figuring these things out, but knowing what's going on at each level and what you're getting from each level is the crucial missing part of that. 'cause like you said, Ken, you can't just be like, well, I'm gonna go to my local association show. Well, bud, that's a whole nother topic. That's a whole nother level. It's

Ken Lucci 44:20

topic and shame on you. If you look on the, look, there's two big games a year that, that you, in this industry, if you wanna be part of the industry and people talk to me about, oh, I want to grow my company. Okay, you're in Dallas, you want to grow your company, but you don't know anything or you're not involved or in the know, in the, the biggest and only magazine in the space. The website, you're not a member of the NLA. How can you say you want to grow a business in an industry and you're really sitting, you're on the sidelines. I would say go with an agenda. Don't make up your agenda the morning you get to the show. don't look at the schedule the first time. when you're at the Gaylord, do your advance, do your advance work, come with an agenda. how do you want to grow your business? if it is, I wanna look at investing in a piece of fleet. Absolutely talk to people who already have the fleet or ask, can I have a few minutes of your time? I understand you have this equipment. If you are looking to buy a piece of software, make sure that you know where they're on the show floor, like Limo Anywhere. If I was a limo anywhere user, I would be in Friday and I would sit and I would make a list of the things that I'd like to know about. And I know they've got a ton on their roadmap.

Chris Weiss 45:35

Yeah, they'll have a, packed house for sure.

James Blain 45:37

yeah.

Ken Lucci 45:38

Absolutely. So, yeah.

Chris Weiss 45:40

Ken, earlier you were, you were talking about. The value proposition and, and people sometimes saying that the price of the tickets is too expensive, but, you know, getting back to everything is, what you make out of it. So, you could go to one session and get one idea that not only paid for your ticket, your travel and your time and all of that, but it, it could be tenfold and then. at each session there's learning opportunities. And then all throughout you have these opportunities to pick people's brains and to meet affiliates that could end up fulfilling your needs on, on the backend or could end up sending you work. And, you know, on top of that

Ken Lucci 46:22

one connection. Can three x the investment?

Chris Weiss 46:25

Just one chance meeting. And then when you add on top of that, you know, we have, you know, these evening events that have food and open bar, and then every morning there's breakfast. Every day there's lunch. And you know, it just all adds up. these tickets are not expensive when you really start to break them down and you actually compare them to other. Industry, not this industry, but other, you know, global events that are for other sectors.

Ken Lucci 46:52

Correct. And everybody that you want to meet is gonna be at this show. This is, definitely the sizzle and the stake. It's not a sizzle. And then you get there and wait a minute, you know, there's nobody here that I want to meet. They're all small, upper everybody who's anybody is at these shows. And the willingness to share is, is actually pretty incredible. again, I think it is 999 out of a thousand people that you'd ask for a few, few minutes, 100%. Unless they're on their way to the meeting, they're gonna give it to you. But it's definitely not a cost, it's an investment in your education. You can learn one mistake that if you learn something from a safety perspective or you learn something from a customer service perspective, whether it's you can make an enhancement or it stops you from making a, a stupid mistake, it's well worth the investment and it's twice a year. That's to me, is you should be planning your business, education career, with these two events, period.

James Blain 47:51

Well, and I'll, share one of the things that we do internally, right? So internally we have a spreadsheet, we have all the shows, and we track all the expenses. And one of the things that we have on there is we have a column at the end that is value beyond spent. Okay, so I can't tell you how many shows that if I just looked at the spreadsheet and said, oh, well we spent X dollars, we made X dollars. This show for us is a failure. We're never going back. But then you look at that column on the side and it says, new partnership, you know, met with insurance carrier startup partnership, met with, you know, so and so start of that relationship. And so you see these things. know, and you gotta really think of it, almost like farming. You see these things that the seed was planted there. If I'm just trying to put a straight dollar sign figure on it, one, I'm missing the point, but two, I'm gonna miss all those opportunities. And I will tell you there's an incredible, incredible opportunity. If you are listening to this and you wanna really dominate at a trade show, do this. This is the secret, right? You will get so many people that will email you that will follow up with you that are like, Hey, buy my thing. Hey, do this. Hey, do that. Right. You know, the one thing that I remember, right, and I'm pretty sure it was JR Garza that sent it to me, right. JR. Maria, I remember we went to a show and they just sent me a box that was like, Hey, it was fun hanging out. Here's a picture of us hanging out and here's a brownie. And I was like, what? Right. And maybe I'm misremembering, maybe it was a cookie, but, but either way, I

Ken Lucci 49:26

No, no. it, it, it's a memorable Thank you.

James Blain 49:29

Like, yeah, forever. Like you need anything? I got you. Right. Because there's no selfishness, there's no do business. There's no nothing. And that goes back to what I said earlier. If you want to really make connections, if you wanna do well, you don't wanna walk up to me and be like, here's my card. If you need something in DC it's, Hey, here's my card. I'm looking for companies to work with. I'd love to learn more about what you do and if I could be a good partner to help you. Right. Actually genuinely wanting to know, is there an opportunity for me to help you? Is there an opportunity to build a relationship? those are the connections at the show, and I can count on probably one hand, maybe two, the people that do that really well. They're the ones that are always surrounded by success. They're the ones that will go above and beyond. You know, I think back to, uh, Charlie and Athena Rim from Bach up in Alaska, taking me out to dinner. Hey, they saw I was new. They saw I was, you know, around the industry. Noco was, they just, Hey, let's go to dinner. Right? I'd go to the end of the earth to do anything for them because. They're the types of people that are there doing that, right? And I'm lucky enough to call them customers and friends, but those are the types of relationships and things that you have the opportunity to build. It's the people that have this mindset of, I'm gonna go in, I'm gonna spend X amount dollars, I gotta give this back, I gotta go sell to everybody that tend to struggle and have a really hard time with these.

Ken Lucci 50:54

Well, it's a, it's a, you know, the, the phrase your network. Equals your net worth and you can't network in basically with one contact. It's about the creation of the relationship, but it's also about adding value. I mean, Athena and Charlie saw something in, you, saw something kind of revolutionary that you were doing or trying to do for the industry, and that's why they, they gravitated. Um, how many times did they referred you?

James Blain 51:22

Oh, geez, I've lost count. Right. And beyond that, just, you know, if I have an issue, if I need help, you know, we talked about the mentor program earlier. You know, it's no secret that they are mentors to me. you know, there's been several times where I've, called up and I've sent a text or hand me some advice. Hey, can you help me with this? Every single time it's, yeah, I'll call you in a minute.

Chris Weiss 51:42

Well, Athena is actually a mentor at the

James Blain 51:44

Yeah. Yeah. So, so Athena, I love you to death. If there's a giant fight and there's a giant line because everybody wants you as a mentor. sorry, not sorry,

Chris Weiss 51:52

She's also a, an extremely valuable member of the show education committee to total Rockstar.

Ken Lucci 51:58

those two are a perfect example they're a microcosm of the industry. They will absolutely go out of their way to help you. Okay. I remember being in the security business and my boss at the time was walking around a conference and he was asking someone, you know, uh, so what do you specialize? Are you residential? Do you commercial? Well, I'm not gonna talk to you about that. It was like. This is not state secrets. This isn't an industry that likes to help each other. Couple things. You are not gonna, as an operator, you are not gonna encounter a problem that these people haven't encountered a thousand X and gone through it. So the chances of you. nipping a problem in the bud. I don't care what it is. You're having a problem with an employee from an HR perspective. You're having hiring issues. Obviously you're having training problems or retention problems, but this is kind of, the ultimate study group of the industry. It's like literally getting a limo, MBA. Okay. When you come to these conference, but it's like school. If you sit in the back and you just, you know, checking your phone or shooting the shit, you're not gonna get anything out of it. So Go with an agenda. Look at the schedule online@cdlashow.com. Look at the schedule. Map out your time. Map out the time from the time you land to the time you leave, and set an agenda and don't wait for the day of the show to try to text somebody or, or find somebody on the, on the floor and say, this is what gets me. 'cause I've seen it happen to you. I've seen what you do, but can you know, can you take me aside? Can we have a talk about my specific company? we're like serving the masses at the show itself on the floor. So go with an agenda. What's important to you? Make sure you prioritize. Prioritize your objectives, prioritize who you want to see, and put your best foot forward.

Chris Weiss 53:55

I wanna add to that, at the shows it's important not to be shy, not to be a wallflower and to strike up conversations with every single person that you come in contact with. Even if it's just asking 'em, you know, where they, where they operate, what type of, you know, vehicle makeup they may have. What they get out of the shows. simple conversation starters, the show can be intimidating. So we we're always seeing people who are, you know, kind of a little timid to do that. So my, my advice is check that shyness at the door and just do not be afraid to strike up a conversation with every single person who's at that event, whether, They seem like an intimidating character because they're, you know, a giant operator or, you know, they're, looking like a deer in the headlights like yourself.

James Blain 54:48

Well, and there's something I want to add to this because Ken and I were having a conversation the other day, right? We believe it or not, we talk a lot outside the podcast as well, and we were talking and one of the things that we see over and over and over is operators think, oh, you know, my problems are so unique. Like it's, this is a me problem.

Ken Lucci 55:06

You don't understand I'm different.

James Blain 55:08

Yeah, yeah. No, no, no, you don't. You don't get it. Like nobody else in the entire world has seen or is dealing with what I'm dealing with, and I'm very sorry. Children, you are not unique snowflakes. Your businesses are not the first ever one of their kind. You're the only revolutionary one that's thought of that. Nobody's is because the vast majority of business problems are just that. They're business problems. No matter how unique your business is, right? You could have, you know, a great startup that no one's ever heard of that is completely different, completely unique. The main problems you're gonna deal with are typical business problems. And so what I find is the details might change, the flavors might change a little bit. It might feel a little different. At the core, a lot of the problems are fundamentally the same type and the same problem. So I think part of that is you have to go in understanding that most small business problems are small business problems. If you're following, like you're saying, Chris, if you're having conversations, if you're open, if you're willing to discuss, if you get to the point with someone where you say, Hey, we've built some rapport, I'd love to ask you, Hey, have you ever dealt with this? Right? Have you ever, you know, had that problem?

Ken Lucci 56:20

I just talked to an operator the other day. He was through nine 11. He went through the financial crisis, he went through COVID and now his business is much more profitable than it ever has. But he had to go through those things and the industry is cyclical. when I was an operator, we had a, we had a labor lawsuit. And when I went to the show, I was feeling awful about my company. Went to the show and they're like, join the club. There's like five of us. Oh, by the way, here's the attorney you should be using. The other point I wanted to make is this is not what I would consider to be a quote, typical limo or typical small business show. This is a world-class, conference. You've got an unbelievable team. I mean, how long has Jess worked for you and the rest of the entire team? Run it down.

Chris Weiss 57:10

I am so blessed to have the team that I have, Susan Rose, who's our managing editor, and Trisha Rieger, who's our art director, have been with me, through Chauffeur Driven and the previous entity. Limo Digest for 28 years each. 28.

James Blain 57:28

geez.

Chris Weiss 57:29

So yeah, we're, we're talking.

James Blain 57:31

Staying power.

Chris Weiss 57:33

And, and just, just two of the most unbelievable human beings. yeah. I'm really blessed. We also have Rob Spek, who I know you, you work closely with Ken, and you do as will James. and yeah. Rob's, Rob's been with us almost a decade. And yeah, he might as well have been with us for 28 years as well. 'cause he, you know, fits the mold perfectly. And then of course, uh, you know, Jess, who is our director of

James Blain 57:57

Jess.

Chris Weiss 57:59

yeah. Jess's story is super unique because we hired Jess 12, 13 years ago. Right, right. When we launched Chauffer Driven, we hired Jess to be a part-time telemarketer selling passes to the show.

James Blain 58:12

No way.

Chris Weiss 58:13

Yeah. She was working, Part-time. It was a seasonal position and she did so, so phenomenal that we offered her a position in our circulation department. She then eventually, became the circulation manager and had expressed interest in working in the events, and I said, we can make that happen, you know, be a fly on the wall. And just try to absorb and sponge up as much as you can about what we do on the event side. And once she, got to the point where, you know, she was comfortable and, and learned enough, we, we put her in, you know, into the event side. And then she, again, rose and became the director of events. So.

Ken Lucci 58:54

Yeah, she does an incredible job. I mean, and, and appears seamless. I know behind the scenes it can get chaotic because I've been in there stuffing, helping you stuff bags and stuff, uh, on occasion. But it is seamless and she does it. The whole team does an incredible job.

Chris Weiss 59:11

I am blessed.

James Blain 59:12

yeah, You've got a solid team.

Ken Lucci 59:14

It's worth the investment. you have anything in your calendar this year, the fall show, 100% as we've talked about, the agenda is great. And then we always look forward to the Vegas show 'cause it's a good continuum. And again, it's about starting the relationships and meeting the people that can, and solving the problems that can be really move your business forward. So, very happy to have you on the, uh,

Chris Weiss 59:39

Thank you. I would be remiss if I didn't though, as we're talking about the shows, you know, give a big shout out to, uh, the National and Association, our partners in the show, uh, Sarah Mercer, Kyle Hammer, Schmidt, obviously working with, Jason and Carl on the show education Committee. Brett Barron Holtz is, uh, just a, a phenomenal leader, a good friend, great partner, and you know, they, they make it even easier for us to do what we do.

Ken Lucci 1:00:08

A hundred percent and coming out of the, out of COVID, look, this could have gone either way. The

James Blain 1:00:12

Oh.

Ken Lucci 1:00:13

could have gone downhill, the association could have gone downhill. To me, both enterprises are, are just in lockstep and doing so well, running on all, on all cylinders. And it, and I think it is, it's be, the teams are great. you know, without question. The NLA team, they're running around the shows as well. It's, it's phenomenal.

Chris Weiss 1:00:34

It's great to have all the, all the oars rowing in the same direction pre COVID. That wasn't the case. And it really seemed like that's what everyone wanted and, you know, it took COVID and, you know, us acquiring LCT, but we, we were able to, to, you know, unify everything and, and, uh, limit the amount of, of national events that we're doing and, and have everyone steering in the same direction.

James Blain 1:01:00

I, I gotta tell you, it's, it's gonna be incredible because I, I think the neat thing is, I remember one of the very first shows coming out of COVID was the one in Texas at the Gaylord, and I remember doing the opening session. We were, we were talking about hiring. It was, I remember driving down because flights were still a pain to deal with and everything. So I think now to have come full circle to, you know, the attendance was just coming back up. That was kinda the first show back to now coming back in 2025, full force. I think it really has kind of come full circle, like you were saying.

Chris Weiss 1:01:33

it has. When we did that show in 21 at the Texan, we were actually one of the top 10 organizations nationally to host a trade show like we were trendsetting back then.

James Blain 1:01:45

everybody was still on lockdown,

Chris Weiss 1:01:47

everyone was still afraid to do it. We were fortunate that we were in Texas, so that, that, that

James Blain 1:01:52

God bless Texas. God

Chris Weiss 1:01:54

and God bless Texas, and, and we were just, you know, we felt that everyone needed to get back together and, and someone needed to set the tone and, and so we just decided to do it.

Ken Lucci 1:02:04

A hundred percent when you go to these shows, to me, more than anything, it magnifies the opportunities that are available in the industry. We all are in our businesses every day, and maybe we look at the problems that we see or the challenges that we are experiencing, but. To me, the opportunities are magnified when you get on the conference, on the show floor and you look at the vehicles and you go into the education sessions and you can take out the golden nuggets and shame on you if you don't implement them. they're literally there on the schedule for you to, to grow the business, the elements that you need to grow the business, and the people are there to help you, which is. To me, one of the unsung things about this, this industry is people will help

Chris Weiss 1:02:55

It's fraternal. It, it, it's.

Ken Lucci 1:02:57

Very fraternal.

James Blain 1:02:59

but I gotta tell you guys, and Chris, you, you probably see the same thing. I could probably count on one hand the people that I've met that I've said, Hey, you know, I'd be happy to coach, I'd be happy to help. Whatever you need. The ones that actually genuinely reach out and take you up on that offer. I think, at least for me, and I can only speak for myself, I gotta tell you're few and far between. So kinda like what I was saying earlier, I get spammed by everybody with, Hey, you know, my favorite is when they're like, Hey, you know, I'd love your affiliate business in this city. And I'm like, so you have paid no attention to anything on my business card. You didn't. Remember a darn word I said, 'cause I'm a training company, right? So I don't know what business you think I'm sending you, right? Clearly you've just taken every card and put them on a spam list, which, good luck with that,

Chris Weiss 1:03:44

We're the event producers, and I get those emails.

James Blain 1:03:47

yeah. Chris is gonna send you his business for his non-existent limo company, right? I mean. But it, it's the same thing. But Chris, how many, I mean, how many times do you tell someone, Hey, I'd love to give you advice. Hey, I'd be happy to do it. And then they never follow up. They never take you up on it. You know, I have that happen to me all the time, and more than anything, I feel bad for the people. 'cause I'm like, I would genuinely love to be able to help you, but people just typically don't ever take you up on it. I don't, I don't know if that's your experience, Chris.

Chris Weiss 1:04:17

I would say it's somewhat the same, but not entirely because I, you know, at the shows, I, I try to, you know, give time especially to first timers and new operators and yeah. Uh, there often is follow up. And, you know, people get more interested in, you know, what we're doing with the magazine and what we're doing with our other content. So it, it does develop. I, I, you know, there's countless people that I've met at the shows who were first timers and here you fast forward 5, 10, 15 years, 20 years, 30 years, and we're still friends and still connected. We grew up together in it and that part of it is to myself and to the team, the CD team. It is the most rewarding part when we get to sit back and just watch all of these friends and colleagues coming together and enjoying themselves and, you know, having these, you know, laughing and having great conversations and sharing ideas and breaking bread and all of these great things and we can just sit back and be a fly on the wall and watch it. Nothing is more rewarding than that out of everything that we do. Of, you know, the decades of doing this. That is what keeps me coming back. I mean, that,

Ken Lucci 1:05:27

Well, you guys do make it look easy, but I know it's not. So you do a great job orchestrating the whole thing.

Chris Weiss 1:05:33

a lot goes into it and it all, and yeah, these events are planned out sometimes six to nine months in advance, if not longer. And it, yeah, it's the team. I have such an amazing team and, you know, not just with CD, but with the NLA and that partnership, it's. Just blessed, very thankful.

Ken Lucci 1:05:51

Well, I think that's a terrific place to leave it. Thank you so much for, agreeing to be on the podcast, everybody. October 26th, correct.

Chris Weiss 1:06:04

Yes. It's, uh, yeah, October 20, fifth through the 28th. Um, because it, yeah. Yeah, that's, uh, the

James Blain 1:06:10

Slight

Chris Weiss 1:06:11

that's the limo anywhere, full day of sessions. Then

Ken Lucci 1:06:14

Yep.

Chris Weiss 1:06:15

the, uh, the show education committee sessions kick off on Sunday, uh, the mentoring programs Sunday afternoon, and then we have the opening party on the show floor, which is always, uh, always a hit. You know, we were, in the past, we were having the show floor, the final day was on Wednesday, and it was always lackluster. I'm sure you guys, as exhibitors, you know, would, would attest to that.

James Blain 1:06:37

I plead the fifth.

Chris Weiss 1:06:39

But, you know, we made an adjustment a, a, a few years ago to have the first day as an opening party and cut the last day out. So now all, all three days are valuable on, on the show floor.

Ken Lucci 1:06:51

all three are action packed, so if you haven't visited, go to cd nla show.com. That's cd nla show.com. The 25th to the 28th, limo Anywhere is the first thing that takes place on the 25th Main Event. Starts on Sunday and goes all the way through Tuesday. Tuesday night. So great seeing you. Thanks for being on the podcast, and we'll see you live and in Dallas.

Chris Weiss 1:07:19

Thanks, Jen. Appreciate it.

1:07:21

Thank you for listening to the ground transportation podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, please remember to subscribe to the show on apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. For more information about PAX training and to contact James, go to PAX training.com. And for more information about driving transactions and to contact Ken, Go to driving transactions.com. We'll see you next time on the ground transportation podcast.