[IMAGE]buscon-2.jpg[/IMAGE]Now in its 15th year, BusCon will again be "Paving the Road to Success" at Chicago's world famous Navy Pier Sept. 29 to 30. Registration begins at noon, Tuesday, Sept. 28, with pre-registered attendees able to pick up their badges at the check-in area of the Hyatt Regency Chicago between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. The Welcome Reception that evening, sponsored by Radio Engineering Industries (REI), will also give show attendees their first chance to mix and mingle with old and new friends and associates and enjoy the return of the popular blues band Cadillac Dave & His Chicago Red Hots.

New to the show

New to BusCon for the first 250 attendees purchasing a full conference pass is the Networking Reception held at U.S. Cellular Field, where attendees can network with peers while watching the Chicago White Sox square off against the Boston Red Sox in a private BusCon suite. Attendees will enjoy a full dinner buffet, open bar, raffle prizes and a silent auction with all the proceeds going to the Les Turner ALS Foundation.

Also new this year is the co-location of BusCon's sister event, the 10th annual LCT Leadership Summit - an exclusive and intensive three-day leadership skills program for owners and senior management of large luxury transportation companies. Participants will also get free access on the last day to BusCon.

Attendees can also visit www.busconexpo.com and enter their cell phone number for show alerts and contest opportunities happening on the show floor.

At the show

Once again BusCon will offer the largest quantity and widest variety of vehicles and products on the 140,000-square-foot exhibit hall, which will be open 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 29 and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday. Vehicles will take center stage on the show floor with buses, cutaways and chassis on display from manufacturers including ABC Companies, Champion Bus Inc., Daimler Buses North America, ElDorado National, Foton America Bus Co., Goshen Coach, Krystal Enterprises, Motor Coach Industries, Startrans - A Supreme Corporation Co., and Turtle Top.

Attendees will also not want to miss Thursday's Breakfast and General Session: "The First 24 Hours: How to Develop a Serious Response Plan," with Bob Crescenzo of Lancer Insurance. Crescenzo will discuss the need for a comprehensive, fully understood and periodically rehearsed companywide plan to deal with a serious accident or passenger-related incident to avoid legal, public relations and business-threatening implications.

BusCon's good friend Jack Burkert, from Transportation Safety Consulting, will be on hand to conduct a session titled "The Perfect Ride: Providing Superior Customer Service for Passengers with Disabilities," while Halsey King, of Halsey King and Associates, will serve as moderator for an alternate fuels panel.

University Transit

The popular University Transit Track also returns to BusCon, with Bob Bourne, Bourne Transit Consulting LLC, leading "Is Your Level of Service Green?", a session presenting information from Transit Cooperative Research Program # 100 and several case studies on how frequency of service affects ridership and helps create a sustainable environment.

Meanwhile, Brian Shaw, Sam Schwartz Engineering, will discuss the experiences of Emory University, the University of Chicago and other institutions that initiated new and revamped services successfully, ensuring a high level of use through outreach and marketing in a session titled "Implementation for a New Revamped University Transit System."

Sponsors

Sponsors for the 15th annual BusCon include Ford, Q'Straint, REI, Freedman Seating Co. and Carrier. For more info, visit www.busconexpo.com or call (800) 576-8788.