Leading Fleet Management Through Change was the topic of the IPWEA Fleet conference in Brisbane in the last week in March.
The event was back in the real world at the Royal International Convention Centre/Old Showgrounds in Brisbane after going virtual in 2021 with transitioning to Electric Vehicles (EV) and the infrastructure needed for such a move, high on the list of discussion topics according to IPWEA Director, Fleet Robert Wilson.
“It’s been great to be back, the response has been terrific and we are already planning for next year,” Mr Wilson said.
“We’ve been running the conference since 2017, the last one we held in March 2020 just as the Corona Virus shutdowns were kicking in. We managed to just finish our conference before that happened. We did run one in 2020 face-to-face and in 2021 we had virtual conference.”
“I think people have been really quite positive to be back out and walk around the exhibition, meet for a drink after the sessions and do all that kind of stuff that we like to do.”
Mr Wilson said it was a really important event in a number of ways.
“Firstly, it’s about professional development, so we really strive to have leaders in the industry,” he explained.
“They might be industry experts in the EV space or something like that or they’re leaders as fleet managers.
“They have demonstrated their ability to be a leader or vanguard in fleet management practice. We really try to get people who are going to have knowledge or experience that’s going to be helpful to the delegates from professional development viewpoint.”
Numbers were slightly down on previous years something Mr Wilson said was understandable due to some of the remaining covid restrictions.
“Some of our membership have also been directly affected by recent floods, but that said, it was still a substantial event and its been vibrant and dynamic,” he said.
“It started Monday evening with an official opening, welcome and keynote address by Bree Allen of Summit Fleet Leasing and management and then welcoming drinks and canapes.
“Everyone got a chance to do what they have been hanging out to do, catch up and have a chat.
“We always take that approach, to have it in the exhibition hall, it’s a great way for people to see the exhibition while they are catching up and chatting to people.”
The event will return to Brisbane next year.
