The 2012 Car Rental Show (CRS) kicks off a day early! On Sunday, March 11, the 2012 Car Rental Show will start with a Meet & Greet Cocktail Reception sponsored by EuroIT Technologies and ACE Rent A Car at 6 p.m. The reception is open to all attendees.

The following morning at 8 a.m., the pre-conference seminars will start with the CIRAS Certification program, which aims to equip car rental employees with the proper knowledge to run a profitable car rental company. Presented by Jim Schalberg, the four-hour course will cover topics such as the value of a rental day, customer service procedures, collision damage waivers, specialty rentals, incremental sales and marketing. Pre-registration required.

In a new pre-conference seminar from 10 a.m. to noon, the Frontline Performance Group will present best practices for local market operators, such as setting up and maintaining a rental operation under a dealership roof as well as in-town locations and body shops. Issues covered will include trends in dealer-based rentals, dealers’ decision-making process, outside sales and marketing techniques, service-based sales strategies and financial metrics.

Also from 10 a.m. to noon, Car Rental Show veteran Jim Tennant will reconvene the Tennant Group Roundtable. This year’s roundtable series, “The Idea Workshop” allows participants to discuss fleet planning and acquisition, fleet disposal, personnel and marketing. Each of the four tables will be a forum to contribute and receive ideas and working solutions to and from your peers.

The International Operators Seminar also returns for 2012. From 10 a.m. to 12 noon, this year’s agenda includes tactics for getting bookings in North America using online marketing, tips on increasing utilization and daily dollar average by automating rate management, loss prevention best practices for international renters, global fleet trends, and the latest in technology and products to streamline operations.

For the full schedule of the 2012 Car Rental Show, click here.