PHOENIX – A growing number of commercial fleet managers have budgeted the Automotive Fleet & Leasing Association (AFLA) annual conference as their must-attend conference for 2009. The 2009 AFLA conference will be held Sept. 9-11, 2009 at the Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoenix. Additional information on AFLA can be found at www.aflaonline.com.

Here's what commercial fleet managers had to say about the 2008 AFLA conference.

"This was by far the best AFLA conference I have ever attended and they have always been good in the past. Great job."– Dick Malcom, fleet manager, State Farm Insurance

"I thought the AFLA conference was very good, as this was my first year attending. The presenters/speakers were very informative, without being bias. I do look forward to attending next year's conference." – Anna Haberkorn, fleet manager, McKesson Corp.

"As a first-time attendee, I thought the convention was well worth my time and the company's money. I definitely plan to make sure it is in my annual budget." – Nancy Bagley, fleet manager, Mortenson Construction

"I thought the level of speakers was excellent and each offering plenty of views and opinions leaving me with food for thought. I really enjoyed the conference and look forward to attending again."– Frank Memolo, fleet manager, Panasonic Corp. of North America

"The overall content of the 2008 AFLA Conference was the most balanced and value-add that I have seen in my 10 years with the organization."– Jim McCarthy, director, Siemens Shared Services

"This year's program was by far the best yet. I like the format where everyone is in the same room hearing the same program, not something different for fleet managers and something else for providers." – Dick Prettyman, senior fleet administrator, Cephalon, Inc.

• Click here to read what other commercial fleet managers have to say about the annual AFLA conference.

To further improve the conference format, several scheduling changes have been made to the AFLA 2009 Conference agenda.

The 2009 conference will now open Wednesday, September 9, at 2:30 p.m. The golf outing previously held on the last day of the conference will instead take place on Thursday, the second day. In addition, the conference will conclude at 12:30 p.m. Friday with the 2009 Fleet Hall of Fame Award ceremony, allowing the final day to be used for travel time rather than cutting into the weekend. More information on AFLA can be found www.aflaonline.com

A record of nearly 300 attendees participated in this year's 40th Annual Meeting and Conference at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, September 10-12. One of the conference's highlights was the Fleet Hall of Fame Awards presented by AFLA President Elsie Lucia and Ed Bobit of Bobit Business Media. Ten industry veterans were selected by peers and inducted in a ceremony during the conference, in addition to 20 industry founders automatically inducted into the Fleet Hall of Fame.

A full conference photo gallery from the 2008 conference is available at  www.aflaonline.com/displaygallery.cfm?gallerysub=2008%20Annual%20Conference

Don't miss out on this conference designed for commercial fleet managers and their industry partners. Please continue to check for updates at www.aflaonline.com.