American Bus Association is approaching the new year from a position of strength. We’ve made a variety of strategic changes aimed at expanding services and creating more value for our membership.
One of the key changes we’ve made is the divestment of our real estate holdings, which allowed us to rightsize our workspace to better match our staff size and operating model. This decision wasn’t just about optimizing office space—it’s about making a deliberate choice to allocate more of our financial resources toward our membership in the form of lobbying, regulatory and safety compliance, and political advocacy for each of our membership categories.
To that end, we’ve taken a significant step to expand our Government Relations team. In the current legislative and regulatory environment, proactive advocacy is more important than ever. To ensure we have the necessary expertise to navigate and influence critical legislative discussions, we’ve added a Senior Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations to our team. Together with our existing regulatory and industry relations team, we are expanding our reach to better represent the motorcoach, charter bus, and group travel industries.
We want to hear your thoughts, ideas, and concerns as we shape the future of ABA. Complete the strategic plan survey today.
We also have a renewed focus on strategic planning. The future of ABA is something we want to build together—with your input and ideas driving the next phase of our association’s growth. We are in the process of developing a three-year strategic plan, and we are asking each of you to participate in its creation. This plan will focus on four core areas:
1. Strength from Within: We are committed to enhancing our financial positioning, improving our internal processes, and fostering a more inclusive and engaged community.
2. Best-in-Class Meetings, Networking, and Educational Activities: We know how valuable our industry’s face-to-face interactions are, and we’re committed to keeping ABA’s events as the gold standard. We want to stay ahead of the curve and ensure that our events, networking, and educational activities continue to lead the industry and provide value to our membership.
3. Integrated Lobbying, Advocacy, and Value Creation: Lobbying and advocacy will remain at the forefront of our efforts, and we must focus on how these efforts create tangible value and business opportunities for our members.
4. Long-Term Strategic Pursuits: The future of transportation and group travel is rapidly evolving. We are looking beyond immediate needs and focusing
on long-term strategic pursuits and trends that will set the stage for future success.
We want to hear your thoughts, ideas, and concerns as we shape the future of ABA. Please use the QR code to access our survey to submit your views and feedback.
Together, we will ensure that ABA continues to be an effective voice for the motorcoach, charter bus, and group travel industries, delivering unmatched value to our members by supporting growth of your businesses through our events, networking, education, and advocacy.
I look forward to seeing you all in Philadelphia for Marketplace and continuing this important work together.
Sincerely,
FRED FERGUSON
President & CEO
fferguson@buses.org
