For transport specialist Steve Whiteway, attending Coach & Bus UK is simply ‘essential’. The former MD of Epsom Coaches, who boasts over 40 years’ experience in the industry, will be sharing his practical advice for profitable success (focusing on doing less for more) in his seminar at the show (11am, 3 October).
How important is Coach & Bus UK to you and the industry?
Essential, it is the only opportunity to see all the important suppliers in one place.
What do you want visitors to take away from your session?
To think about what they are doing and if it is the right thing to do.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of your job?
Seeing clients put my advice into practice and benefiting from the results.
And the most challenging?
When clients disregard the advice and continue to make the same mistakes.
What’s your key takeaway of the year (so far)?
The electric vehicle trend and the march of technology generally.
Which coach / bus operators do you particularly admire and why?
Lucketts Travel, for growing their company without compromising quality and profitability.
Go-Ahead Group — professional, business-like with innovation combined.
Looking ahead, what are the biggest opportunities for the coach & bus industry in the coming years?
Using technology to grow the market, or at least to stem decline.
Who or what inspires you to be even better?
Other people’s tardiness and lack of professionalism.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?
As an employer, you can’t always be liked but you can be respected.
See Steve at Coach & Bus UK
Is turnover vanity and profit sanity?: 11am on Thursday 3 October.