California Transit Association
45th ANNUAL FALL CONFERENCE & EXPO

September 14-15, 2010 in San Diego

Please SAVE THE DATE for the 45th Annual Fall Conference & EXPO  September 14-15, 2010 in beautiful San Diego!

Yes, we’re holding the West Coast’s signature transit conference two months earlier than normal!

Yes, you’ve got to start making plans now to register or to display your products and services at the EXPO!

Come to San Diego and join fellow transit professionals at our premier annual event for exceptional educational sessions and networking opportunities. Spend time with the public transportation industry’s best business and private sector companies, and check out all the latest vehicle technology and cost-cutting services.

We greatly appreciate your patience as staff rolls out the plans for this year’s Fall Conference & EXPO; we’ve been conferring with the Executive Committee to determine an appropriate conference program for this year. The economy is stagnant, transit funding was cut, and there’s a statewide campaign to qualify and pass an initiative measure to protect billions of dollars in transit funding. Because we need to raise significant funds from our private sector members for that campaign, and because we know transit system budgets are squeezed now more than ever, staff and your Executive Committee leaders needed to develop a new conference program and format contemplating these challenges.

This new September Fall Conference & EXPO does just that! The shorter program minimizes everyone’s time out of the office, reduces travel and exhibiting costs for our business members, but maintains the value-packed educational opportunities for which this annual event has long been known. And, of utmost importance to the Executive Committee, this program still features a shorter-but-vital EXPO opportunity for our business members to show their latest and best transit products and services.

And, while the conference has traditionally been held the second week in November, the new September date was selected to “rally the troops” before the November election, when we hope to see the Local Taxpayer, Public Safety and Transportation Protection Act of 2010 on the statewide ballot. Conference educational sessions will provide all the information you need to learn about the Act’s benefits for public transit and how you can support efforts to pass this landmark measure.

The venue for the EXPO is the San Diego Convention Center, with most of the educational sessions, committee meetings, and accommodations across the street at the Omni San Diego Hotel. Door-to-door, the hotel is a short 3-4 minute walk from the convention center. The Omni is located in the heart of the historic Gaslamp Quarter, which allows conference attendees to continue networking after the Welcome Reception at one of the area’s fine restaurants.

The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System will serve as host this year, and our Program & Conference Committee will be meeting over the next few months to design an outstanding program featuring six educational tracks – Fiscal/Planning and Policy, Marketing, Management/Leadership, Maintenance, Operations, and Human Resources. The conference will also include an Opening General Session and end with a compelling Keynote Presentation.

Program-at-a-Glance

Monday, September 13, 2010
Time TBD Bus Move-In

Tuesday, September 14, 2010
8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Executive Committee Meeting
Maintenance Committee Meeting
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Exhibit Set-up
11:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. Small Operator Awards Luncheon
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Welcome & Opening Session
3:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Break
3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Concurrent Educational Sessions
5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Welcome Reception & EXPO

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast in EXPO
8:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Concurrent Educational Sessions
10:15 am. – 10:30 a.m. Break
10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Concurrent Educational Sessions
12:15 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Lunch & EXPO
3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Closing General Session

The Sponsor/Exhibitor Prospectus will be sent in April, followed by the Registration Brochure in May. Please also check www.caltransit.org at a later date for conference updates and to register online. If you have questions about the Fall Conference in the meantime, please contact Association Services Director Amy J. Lai, CMP at 916.446.4656, ext. 1017 or amy@caltransit.org.