CHICAGO - More than 1,300 federal vehicle fleet and aviation professionals from across the country gathered July 28-30 at the 9th Annual National Motor Vehicle and Aviation Exposition, better known as FedFleet 2009, according to the General Services Administration (GSA).

Hosted by the Federal Fleet Policy Council, GSA's Office of Governmentwide Policy, the Interagency Committee for Aviation Policy, and GSA Fleet, the event is being held at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers and the Navy Pier in Chicago.

The annual conference is dedicated to improving the efficiency of the nation's government-owned vehicle and aviation fleets and addresses key safety, technology, and energy issues. Attendees share best practices and join in training sessions on topics ranging from fleet management to green automotive procurement.

Alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles made up a large part of GSA's recent Recovery Act purchase of 17,205 new, more fuel-efficient vehicles for the federal fleet, and are a key focus of this year's event. More than 30 of them are on display.

Conference training sessions focus on:

• Prospects for technology and safety trends in 2010.

• How to green agency operations and save money.

• Credit card fraud.

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the federal fleets.

Other highlights of the conference include presentation of the 9th annual Federal Aviation awards and the Bob Baker Fleet Manager of the Year awards.

For more information about FedFleet 2009, visit www.fedfleet.org.

Founded in 1949, GSA manages more than 11 percent of the government's total procurement dollars and $24 billion in federal assets, including 8,600 government-owned or leased buildings and 213,000 vehicles.