Car Rental Operators Converge at 2013 Auto Rental Summit
Car rental operators from North America and overseas converged on the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., for two days of exhibit hall interaction, interactive roundtable discussions, informative seminars and networking opportunities.


Designed to improve customer service and enhance revenue of car rental operations, car rental managers, executives and employees from corporate, franchised and independent companies across the U.S. and overseas came together at the 2013 Auto Rental Summit, now in its second year.
Located at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., from Nov. 4-5, this two-day training and education conference featured an exhibit hall with vendors, interactive roundtable discussions, informative seminars and networking opportunities for more than 200 registrants.
Seminars included results from Frontline Performance Group’s survey “What Makes a Top Performer?” “Pay It Forward: Avoiding the Pitfalls of Discrimination,” “What Your Angry Customers Won’t Tell You” and results from J.D. Power and Associates’ survey “Inside the Mind of a Car Rental Customer.”
In addition to the seminars, several awards were presented at this year’s Summit.
J.D. Power named the top car rental company from its 2013 North American Rental Car Satisfaction Study. CarRentalExpress.com honored the winner of its first Renter Rated Award, which recognizes the top scoring independent car rental agency in its Renter Rated Program.
And Auto Rental News announced the three winners of its second annual Professional of the Year Awards. Presented by American Express, this award honors associates who demonstrate and promote outstanding customer satisfaction within the car rental process.
Look for an online gallery of photos from the 2013 Auto Rental Summit soon.
By Amy Winter

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