The 2014 Government Fleet Expo & Conference (GFX) was an educational and exciting event for many attendees. Taking place June 2-4 at the San Diego Convention Center in Southern California, the event included plenty of networking opportunities, a choice of 15 breakout educational sessions, and an expo floor packed with new technologies, vehicles, and products from service providers.

The unofficial theme of the conference was establishing a vision for the future, with a keynote speech from Kelly Reagan, fleet administrator from the City of Columbus, Ohio, speaking about the topic. Brent Wahl from San Bernardino County, Calif., led a packed breakout session on this topic as well, breaking down the practical information that fleets needed to achieve their vision.

At educational sessions, fleet managers were able to learn about parts room management, effective communication across the generations, how to use data to control costs, real mistakes fleet managers have made and learned from, fleet greening strategies, what a consultant might say about even the best operations, and more.

During the show’s Honors Celebration on June 4, Government Fleet announced and recognized this year’s industry awards recipients. These include the Public Sector Fleet Manager of the Year, the Leading Fleets with rankings, the new Hall of Fame inductees, and the Legendary Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

Additionally, pre- and post-conference sessions allowed attendees coming in early or leaving later more opportunities to learn. San Diego County hosted a fleet facility tour for more than 130 attendees, while the Municipal Equipment Maintenance Association (MEMA) held a general session detailing innovative ideas from fleet managers. Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors representatives were able to talk about their products before the show, and AssetWorks and FASTER both held sessions about the new features on their fleet software after the show.

“I was so impressed by the organization, fun, and many opportunities to learn, network and have fun with fleet professionals,” said first-time attendee Mary Joyce Ivers, PWLF, CPFP, fleet and facilities manager for the City of Ventura, Calif. “I especially appreciated the meals together so we can spend time meeting and sharing ideas with each other.”

The next GFX will take place June 8-11, 2015, in Denver, Colo. Visit www.governmentfleetexpo.com for more information.

For a PDF of the print coverage of GFX, click here.

For a photo gallery of this year's event, click here.