Bob Barton, president of the American Car Rental Association, will present the opening address at the Auto Rental Summit on Oct. 30. Barton is also president and COO of Franchise Services of North America Inc., the parent company of U-Save Auto Rental of America Inc.

In his address, “It’s Not Just the Car: How to Differentiate Yourself from the Competition,” Barton will guide attendees on the key ways their staff and marketing can make a difference in their service and the perception the consumer has of their brand.

“Bob Barton is the perfect speaker to kick off the Auto Rental Summit,” said Chris Brown, executive editor of Auto Rental News. “Bob brings 26 years of travel industry experience to deliver the right blend of motivation, information and inspiration, with relevant take-home tools for car rental operators.”

The Auto Rental Summit, held at the Marriott Hollywood Beach on the famed Hollywood Beach Boardwalk, is a gold-level training and education conference designed to improve customer service of car rental operations. Auto rental managers, executives and employees from corporate, franchised and independent companies from North America and overseas are invited to “Achieve Excellence” Oct. 29-30 in Hollywood, Fla.

The Summit will be held in conjunction with the first-ever Auto Rental NewsProfessional of the Year Awards, which will honor three associates from auto rental companies worldwide who demonstrate and promote outstanding customer satisfaction within the car rental process.