Seattle--The 57th annual Vehicle Maintenance Management Conference (VMMC) had 372 participants, up from the 2006 event.
Held annually on the main campus of the University of Washington during spring break, the VMMC draws attendees from throughout North America to the training event that offers dozens of management and training sessions for those involved in fleet maintenance-from repair facilities to private sector and government fleets.
John Breland, 2008 VMMC chair, said reports from attendees rated the sessions very polished and professional. "The feedback was very positive," he said when addressing VMMC trustees at a breakfast meeting on the third day of the conference.
In addition to higher attendance, Breland said there were more exhibitors at the two-day indoor display that featured products and services pertinent to the fleet industry. In total, there were 33 exhibitors at the nonprofit conference sponsored by the university's Educational Outreach Conference Management program. There was also a one-day outdoor exhibit at the conference that featured trucks and equipment.
Various VMMC committees and trustees meet throughout the year to coordinate training programs for the annual program that offers extensive technical and management programs for technicians, fleet managers, private fleet service facilities, educators, and maintenance specialists. Sessions are presented by manufacturers, professional trainers, industry experts, and others from throughout North America.
VMMC has a conference manager and staff at the University of Washington and is governed by a board of trustees of more than 50 industry professionals from Idaho, California, Kentucky, Oregon, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington.
Re-elected for the 2009 VMMC were 2008 conference officers John Breland, Freedom Truck Centers in Spokane, chairman; Kerry Swayne, Washington State Department of Ecology in Bellevue, Wash., vice chair; and secretary Gene Jakubczak of the City of Spokane Fleet Services.
For information on VMMC visit www.engr.washington.edu/epp/vmmc.