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Diane Taylor -- Tradeshow Week, 11/14/2007 1:12:00 PM
He’s not shy. His brochure reads, modestly, “There simply is not a
better meet-and-greet service anywhere on the planet.” This is Alan
Waxler, president and CEO of Alan Waxler Group, or AWG, which offers
destination management, corporate event and charter services, as well
as models and talent. Waxler’s pride is the niche he has carved out in
high-end transportation. He talked to TSW Las Vegas Contributing Editor
Diane Taylor about driving business in an increasingly competitive
market.
Question: Who are your transportation customers? Answer: The majority
are corporate executives who come to town for conventions and meetings.
Q: Why combine destination management with transportation? A:
Destination management is cyclical … but transportation services ring
the register every day, and that’s music to my ears.
Q: What’s the latest transportation trend in Las Vegas? A: Only that
the pricing for private transportation will go up. Traditionally, Las
Vegas rates for hiring limousine and motor coach services are far below
the national average. Hotel rates have gone up here, and I think
transportation services will go up in price as well.
Q: What has been your most interesting job? A: Before I went into my
own business, I coordinated transportation for a Toyota product
introduction in which we moved 5,000 people from the Thomas & Mack
Center to the Las Vegas Convention Center in 17 minutes. We hired 100
motor coaches, some even from out of town. We had secured a parade
permit, and it all worked.
Q: What have been the longest trips you have chartered? A: We quite
regularly go to California, and have special vehicles for that. But our
longest trips were after 9/11 when the planes weren’t flying. We made a
number of cross-country trips, sometimes with more than one driver. I
hated to charge people for these trips, but we had to keep the business
afloat and, as you know, meetings and conventions in Las Vegas took a
downturn right after that.
Q: How did you get into the business? A: I came to Las Vegas in 1990.
My father was here in the casino business, and he was ill. A friend was
here too, and she wanted me to join her destination management company,
which I did. While there, I handled many of the transportation requests.
Q: When did you go out on your own? A: In 1997. … I wanted to offer
clients something different for group transportation, something akin to
the posh service I saw casinos offering high rollers. Brent Bell of
Bell Transportation told me about a salesman he had recently met who
had a luxury vehicle. I talked to the salesman, bought our first
limo-style motor coach, and the business just grew from there.
Q: What distinguishes you from all the other providers here? A: We have
vehicles made by Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Lincoln and Cadillac. Group
transportation choices include high-end stretch limousines and the
largest fleet of Krystal Executive Limo-Coaches in the world. In all we
have 100 vehicles all of which are serviced in our own shop.
Q: How many employees do you have now? A: We have 180 full-time employees.
Q: At a recent Las Vegas Hospitality Assn. meeting, you asked a panel
of experts what the local industry should be doing to stay sharp. What
is your own answer to that question? A: We should be good listeners and
do what we can to meet customer needs. As a volume-driven city, we
should not lose sight of the little things that make the difference as
it relates to service and product.
Q: How do you market the service? A: Primarily to corporations and meeting planners, with some marketing to venues.
Q: What’s your favorite car in the fleet? A: A 1969 Cutlass Convertible, which I am having completely rebuilt.
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