 |
 |
 |
|
90th Annual Convention & Trade Show
|
 Centro Ybor Located in the heart of Ybor City, Centro Ybor is an entertainment destination that features an exciting mix of retailers, restaurants and entertainment venues situated around a palm-lined plaza capturing the flavor of Tampa's historic Latin Quarter. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Tampa Bay Beaches Consistently among the top ten beaches in the world, Tampa Bay’s beaches feature soft white sand, blue-green water and gently rolling waves. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Columbia Restaurant Flamenco Dancer Serving up Spanish and Cuban cuisine with a side of flair and flamenco dance since 1905, the Columbia Restaurant is Florida's oldest and the world's largest Spanish restaurant. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
The Destination
The Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held in Tampa, Florida, where (of course!) we can expect lots of water, sand and sunshine. But Tampa has a lot to offer for the non-beach bum. Neighborhoods like Hyde Park — Tampa's oldest and most glamorous neighborhood — offer an eclectic collection of boutique shopping and eateries.You'll have to take a night to stroll the brick-lined streets of the famed Ybor City. Once known as the "Cigar Capital of the World", Ybor City is now a hub of entertainment with vintage clothing stores, art galleries, coffee houses, cafes, bistros and nightclubs. By the way, hand-rolled cigars can still be purchased in the old brick buildings of this National Historic Landmark District. Right outside our hotel's door is Channelside Bay Plaza with a variety of restaurants and "places to be seen".
You'll find something fun to see and do in Tampa!
 Sunset Stunning sunsets cap off the perfect day in Tampa Bay. Or perhaps, this beautiful sunset signals the start of an exciting evening out on the town - either way, there's no better place to see a marvelous sunset than Tampa Bay. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Outside Dining in Comfortable Temperatures Tampa Bay has it all, from fresh seafood to five-star fine dining. Tampa Bay's eclectic mix of dining options is sure to hit the spot. With the average annual temperature in Tampa Bay at a comfortable 73 degrees, you can enjoy the gentle bay breezes of Tampa Bay while dining outside. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Channelside Bay Plaza - Night Channelside Bay Plaza, Tampa's downtown waterfront entertainment and retail complex features the finest in evening entertainment and dining. Dance the night away at numerous clubs and bars in style - from country to comedy, and much more. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
The Invitation
At the end of October, while much of the nation will have a chill in the air, President Brian Hunt invites you to the warmth of Florida for the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association's 90th Annual Convention and Trade Show! President Hunt has placed an emphasis on customer service during the entire year, and that theme will continue as we meet for our largest gathering of the year.
 Tampa Convention Center - Patio The Tampa Convention Center located directly on the waterfront in the heart of Downtown Tampa, offers breathtaking views of Tampa Bay. The Riverwalk overlooks the water. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Tampa Skyline with Convention Center The Tampa Convention Center is conveniently located within walking distance to hotels, restaurants, nightlife venues, Ybor City, Channelside Bay Plaza and The Florida Aquarium. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 TECO Line Streetcar System The electric streetcar has made a triumphant return to the city after a 56-year hiatus. The streetcar whisks passengers from Downtown Tampa to the Channelside area and the cruise terminals, to Ybor City and back. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
The Exhibits
The Trade Show will be held at the Tampa Convention Center directly across the street from the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina. The Trade Show will feature our industry's best vendors who typically announce new products designed to help you enhance your business. Nowhere else in the world will you find these vendors anxiously waiting to display their products and services to you and to talk serious business with you. Take advantage of having all your vendors under one roof.If you are a vendor to the transportation industry, make sure your company's products and services are in front of the people who count…and watch your profits soar.
 Lunch Complimentary lunch on the Trade Show floor is included with your registration fee. Enjoy conversation, food and all of the displays of awesome products and services. |
 Roundtable Sessions Attend small group discussions where you can hear and be heard in regards to common issues, and to learn about customer service matters. |
 General Sessions The best speakers in our industry help keep you informed about current concerns and positive directions. |
Trade Show Hours
The Grand Opening of the Trade Show will be held on Monday, October 27 from 4:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. with the Grand Opening Cocktail Reception. On Tuesday, the exhibit hall will be open from 12:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. with a lunch being served early and an open bar served later that afternoon. On Wednesday, the trade show will be open from 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. with lunch being served early and prize drawings held before the hall closes.
27 Roundtable Discussions
On Monday afternoon, October 27, the convention's educational sessions open with three sets of nine concurrent roundtables. The roundtable discussions are one of the most popular features of this convention. Each table seats 36 people, so arrive early to assure yourself a seat at the table.
Opening General Session
The Opening General Session will be held first thing on Tuesday morning, October 28. President Brian Hunt will give his state of the industry & TLPA address followed by a keynote speaker who will be announced soon.
 GolfingHome to nearly three dozen golf courses and host to major golfing events, including the PGA Tour's PODS Championship and the Champions Tour's Outback Steakhouse Pro-Am, Tampa Bay is a golfer's paradise year-round. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Fishing Tampa Bay’s waters are perfect for reeling in tarpon, snook, grouper, trout and large mouth bass while boating out in the Gulf makes a great day of deep sea fishing. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 The Florida Aquarium Exterior The Florida Aquarium tells Florida’s unique water story as it follows a "drop" of water from its underground source to the open sea. Discover over 10,000 aquatic plants and animals both native to Florida and from all over the globe. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
Optional Ticketed Events
Golf Tournament: The Annual Gateway Insurance Golf Tournament to benefit the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Foundation will be held on Sunday, October 26, with departure from the Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina at 11:00 a.m. and a shotgun tee-off at 1:00 p.m. An awards ceremony will include dinner, drinks, and drawings for door prizes.Women In Transportation Dinner: The Women in Transportation Dinner will be held Monday, October 27 at the Tampa Convention Center immediately following the Opening Cocktail Reception. Men are definitely invited and make up approximately 40% of the event participants. This year the event will feature guest speaker, Mark Fulton who will address Behavioral Intelligence: Why Do People Do What They Do?
Mark is a leadership coach, business columnist and professional speaker with more than 30 years experience in education, broadcasting, management and marketing. He is a skilled communicator who helps business owners become effective leaders by building powerful relationships with their key people.
Mark's interactive presentation will leave you with an understanding of your own behavior style and how it is different from those around you. With an understanding of your behavior style, you can have greater success at relating to other people, building effective teams and promoting workplace productivity.
TLPA guests will be served breast of chicken stuffed with spinach, pine nuts, Feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes with red chili cream sauce served over black bean rice, seasonal vegetables, field greens salad, key lime pie for dessert served with your choice of red and white wine.
This event has traditionally been held on the first night of the convention to facilitate the building of relationships early in the convention. Approximately 50 people attend this event creating a comfortable setting with a friendly atmosphere. If this is your first TLPA convention, we recommend that you sign up for this optional event.
Spouses Program: All spouses registered for the convention may also register for a four-hour Sea Life Safari tour. We will board buses at 8 a.m. to travel across the bay to Clearwater to enjoy a relaxing sightseeing excursion where dolphins are a common sight and birds and shells abound.
After boarding our boat, we will cruise the tranquil waters of Clearwater Bay up close to mangrove islands that are protected bird sanctuaries and home to pelicans, herons, ibises and egrets. During our tour, a trawl net will be pulled to gather a variety of sea life such as sea horses, puffer fish, stingrays and much more. Our biologist on board will describe the assortment of sea specimen and maybe even let you hold one, if you're willing. A stop will be made on one of the inter-coastal islands for a little shelling time.
After our cruise, we will enjoy a brief tour of the rehabilitation aquarium and then return to the Tampa Convention Center just in time for lunch in the exhibit hall.
Closing Banquet: The closing night banquet will be held on Wednesday evening, October 29. The evening features an open bar, a wonderful meal, the Operator of the Year Awards, entertainment and the silent auction to benefit TLPA's legislative arm, the TLPA Action Fund.
 BayshoreEnjoy the Tampa weather as you walk along the bay shore near many restaurants, entertainment and shopping. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Raymond James Stadium Home the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium was rated the NFL’s best playing field in 1998 by the NFL Players Association and is the “crown jewel” of the National Football League. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Bayshore Boulevard Rollerbladers From early morning until long after the orange and pink sunset has faded, Bayshore Boulevard, bordering Tampa Bay for 4.5 uninterrupted miles, is packed with in-line skaters, joggers and bikers while the occasional dolphin or manatee skims along the water's surface. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
Plan to Attend
Mark your calendars now and plan to attend TLPA's 90th Annual Convention & Trade Show. Included is your registration fee are two breakfasts, two lunches, two cocktail receptions, a tour of a transportation company, a prize drawing, and, of course, the items the exhibitors and sponsors give away. In addition, plenty of time is built into the convention schedule for you to relax, enjoy and speak informally with your fellow industry members.
TLPA & TLPF Annual Business Meetings
On Wednesday, October 29, the TLPA and Foundation Annual Business Meetings will be held. New budgets will be adopted, bylaw changes will be received and board members will be elected and sworn into office. The highlight of the Annual Business Meeting will be newly elected President Rick Hewatt presenting his vision for the future course of TLPA and the industry.Hotel Highlights
Convention headquarters will be the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina, a 27 floor luxury hotel overlooking the Channel Riverwalk in the heart of downtown Tampa. This new hotel offers elegant amenities for work and play, from a full-service spa, outdoor pool, jacuzzi, fitness center, complete business services and several delicious restaurants. Luxury accommodations include rooms and suites with private balconies and bay or city views available. All rooms are non-smoking and have video on demand, high-speed internet access, dataport, hairdryers, TV with cable/satellite, iron/ironing board, coffee maker, clock radio, and safe.Please make your hotel reservations early. TLPA's room block will expire on Monday, September 22, 2008 or whenever our block of rooms sells out, whichever happens first. Make your reservations directly with the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina. By identifying yourself as a TLPA registrant, you will receive our special group rate starting at $179.00 Single/Double; $299 for the Concierge Level. The Marriott reservations department number is 800-228-9290 or make your reservations on-line through this link to the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel & Marina.
 Channelside Bay Plaza - DayChannelside Bay Plaza, Tampa's downtown waterfront entertainment and retail complex features restaurants, cinemas and shops and a 3-D IMAX® theatre. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Waterfront Dining Tampa's many casual and formal waterfront restaurants provide great views of sailboats on crystal blue waters during the day and beautiful sunsets fading into the night. Photo Courtesy of Tampa Bay & Company |
 Busch Gardens - Ride the SheiKra Enjoy the many rides and entertainment in the Busch Gardens theme park. It's fun for all ages. © Busch Entertainment Corporation. All Rights Reserved. |
City Highlights
Tampa Bay is a waterfront city with a semi-tropical climate with many opportunities to experience the warm waters and gentle bay breezes. Recognized as one of the nation's fastest growing cities, Tampa is a bustling port town that boasts multi-ethnic diversity and a revitalized downtown waterfront. Amusement parks, golf courses, parks and nature trails beckon visitors outside, while museums, history and the arts add to the rich diversity of cultures.Visitors can take a leisurely stroll along Bayshore Boulevard, dubbed the "world's largest sidewalk;" or wander the quaint streets of Ybor City, which was once known as the "cigar capital of the world," and is now a city-within-a-city offering Latin shops, ethnic restaurants, art galleries, and nightclubs.
Local attractions include the 300-acre Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and the Lowry Park Zoo, which is ranked among the top four zoos in the country; the Florida Aquarium; the Henry B. Plant Museum, which is the site of the old Tampa Bay Hotel and a national historic landmark. Or take advantage of Tampa's art culture by taking in a concert by their critically acclaimed orchestra or by strolling the galleries of the Tampa Museum of Art, which features the Southeast's largest collection of Greek and Roman art.
If you are a sports enthusiast, chances are one of Tampa's professional teams will have a game during our stay. Check out the schedules of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (football), Tampa Bay Lightning (hockey), Tampa Bay Devil Rays (baseball), or the Tampa Bay Storm (arena football). Several major league baseball teams also come to Tampa for spring training.
Directions from the Airport
Tampa — TPA
Driving directions: From Tampa International Airport take I-275 North for six miles to downtown Exit-44, follow signs to Convention Center & Harbour Island - Hotel is 12 blocks ahead adjacent to the Tampa Convention Center. Estimated taxi fare: 22.0 USD (one way)