The number is a 62% increase in business generated from Marketplace 2016 and the second largest total business booked from the show in the past five years.
The American Bus Association (ABA) released the booked business results from its 2017 Annual Meeting & Marketplace in Cleveland, Jan. 13 to 17, which will result in more than $115.9 million in business.
The John Dunham and Associates (JDA) survey results indicate that $115.9 million in business will be booked as a direct result of Marketplace. This is a 62% increase in business generated from Marketplace 2016 and the second largest total business booked from the show in the past five years.
According to the JDA annual post-event survey of delegates — approximately 3,300 participants representing 1,450 companies and organizations ranging from motorcoach operators to destination marketing organizations to hotels — the average total business booked due to Marketplace was up dramatically in 2017, with the average business booked on the floor of $21,110 nearly double that of 2016. This included a number of sales of new motorcoaches to operators that were made on the trade floor. The survey also showed that the average amount of business booked per company that booked business because of Marketplace was $107,741.
“These results show that ABA’s Annual Meeting & Marketplace is the number one group travel show in North America with the greatest ROI,” said ABA President/CEO Peter Pantuso, CTIS. “This is where you want to come if you want to kick off your business year on the right foot — it is where real business gets done.”
Premiums remain elevated. Underwriting scrutiny is intense. And claims costs continue to rise at historic levels. Behind those numbers lies a complex mix of legal, medical, and cultural forces reshaping the commercial landscape.
The company said it has remained the most widely purchased model in the new coach market across the US and Canada, according to historical data from the Motorcoach Builders Survey conducted by the American Bus Association
A phased approach to technology, in-house capabilities, and workforce investment is helping transportation leaders break the reactive cycle and build more resilient, revenue-focused operations.
The company's flagship H3-45 is also the best-selling 45-foot motorcoach in North America, according to vehicle registration data from S&P Global Mobility (Polk).
METRO’s Executive Editor Alex Roman spoke with Mueller about the opening event, the company’s progress since launching in late 2022, and the road ahead.
METRO Executive Editor Alex Roman presented the award to the operation’s President/CEO Scott Parsons at the United Motorcoach Association’s EXPO in Birmingham, Alabama.