PHOENIX – The Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association's (AFLA) 2008 Conference, "Roadmap to the Future," set for September 10-12 at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, is less than four weeks away. Deadline for hotel reservations has been extended to this Friday, August 22.

The Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association provides a forum for auto manufacturers, leasing companies, industry suppliers, dealerships, remarketers, and corporate fleet professionals. "AFLA is a great organization to network with a cross section of fleet professionals to exchange ideas and experiences. You won't want to miss this year's exciting event!" said Elsie Lucia, AFLA president.

2008 Annual Meeting & Conference Schedule

Wednesday, September 10

Noon–6 p.m. Registration

12–2 p.m. AFLA Board Meeting

3–4 p.m. New Member Welcome Reception

4:30–4:45 p.m. President's Welcome

4:45–5:45 p.m. Automotive Industry Trends and the Future of Commercial Fleet: In Sync or Out of Step?

Keynote Presenter: Michael Rogers, New York Times

5:45–9 p.m. Cars of Tomorrow Reception with OEM Concept Vehicles

Thursday, September 11

7:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Registration

7–8:30 a.m. Breakfast

8:45–9 a.m. President's Update

9–9:45 a.m. Reinventing the Automobile: The Future of Automotive Technology

Presenter: Larry Burns, VP of Research for General Motors

9:45–10:45 a.m. How Will the Automotive Industry Change in the Next 10 Years

Presenter: John McElroy, Automotive Analyst

10:45–11 a.m. Coffee Break

11 a.m.–12 p.m. How High Will Fuel Prices Go?

Presenter: John Kingston of Platts

Noon–1 p.m. Luncheon

1–2 p.m. Motivational Speaker: Bob Arno/The Art of the Steal

2–3 p.m. Balancing Cost vs. Corporate Green Responsibility

Panel discussion that includes fleet managers at companies with major green fleet initiatives.

Panelist: Pete Silva of PepsiCo, Vicki Dahliquist of ValleyCrest, Donna Bibbo of Novo Nordisk, and Dick Malcom of State Farm Insurance.

3–3:15 p.m. Coffee Break

3:15–4:15 p.m. Town Hall Meeting With OEM Fleet Directors Pat Dougherty of Chrysler, Brian McVeigh of GM, Kevin Koswick of Ford, and Scott Heyer of Toyota

4:15–5 p.m. Industry Hall of Fame, All-new award presented by Automotive Fleet magazine

Friday, September 12

7–8 a.m. Breakfast

8:15–8:30 a.m. Business meeting & election results

8:30–9:15 a.m. Keynote presentation: Developing a Strategic Roadmap - Taking Your Fleet to the Next Level

9:15–10 a.m. Forecast of Economic Conditions That Will Impact Your Fleet, Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, director of corporate economics for Ford Motor Co.

10–10:15 a.m. Coffee Break

10:15–11 a.m. Industry Metrics to Make Your Vehicle Remarketing Program More Effective

12–5:30 p.m. Pete Z Golf Scramble

7–7:30 p.m. President's Reception

7:15 p.m. Golf awards

7:30–10 p.m. Dinner, awards, and closing reception

Visit the AFLA Web site for full agenda and updates at www.aflaonline.com.