The International Motor Coach Group (IMG) Chairman Hank Garbee is pleased to announce that Bronwyn Wilson has been selected to serve as the corporation’s next President.
Wilson is a results-oriented professional with more than thirty years experience in the domestic and international travel industry. Wilson comes to IMG after serving as President of Australian Pacific Touring (APT), an international tour and travel company. As President of North American operations, Wilson was responsible for sales and marketing initiatives with key wholesale partners, travel agents, and overseeing APT’s
Canadian touring program.
Wilson has been a part of the Australian Pacific Touring family since 1982, which is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. She served as a member of the company’s Board of Directors from 1996 through 2004.
Wilson has a vast understanding of the North American travel and tour market and has served on the Board of Directors for the United States Tour Operator Association (USTOA) since 1999, including as Vice-Chairman in 2010, a Director at Large with the National Tour Association (NTA) in 2009, as well as the California Coalition of Travel Organizations since 2008. IMG Chairman Hank Garbee stated, “We are all excited to have Bronwyn join IMG and help us grow our consortium into the future and increase
our shareholder’s business opportunities.”
Wilson replaces outgoing President Steven Klika. Under the leadership of Klika, IMG grew as an internationally recognized organization focused on safety and operational excellence.
During the eleven-year tenure of Klika, IMG created a comprehensive online drivertraining curriculum, established bulk purchasing relationships with vendors, and developed a coordinated marketing program partnering with over 200 travel and tourism organizations throughout the United States and Canada. Klika was instrumental in IMG working with the United Kingdom and Italy in establishing the Global Passenger Network (GPN) that now has motor coach operator partners in nearly thirty countries.
The International Motor Coach Groupis a privately held corporation representing over sixty of the premier motor coach companies throughout the United States and Canada. Membership in IMG is restricted to those operators with proven service experience that share similar operating standards.
IMG shareholders are family-owned companies with many years of business history. They are the unwavering force in the motor coach industry promoting safety, quality, customer service and financial stability.
IMG shareholders are in leadership positions with the industry’s major trade
organizations including the American Bus Association, United Motorcoach Association, Motorcoach Canada, State, Provincial, travel and tour organizations throughout North America.
IMG’s high standards and focus on operational excellencehas helpedits members exceed the safety requirements of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
All IMG shareholders are Department of Defense-certified.
The International Motor Coach Group is looking forward to a seamless transition in leadership continuing to promotebest practices, excellence in operations, leadership in federal policy and safety.
With Wilson at the helm, IMG will aggressively develop a sales and marketing program focused on competing on a national stage to secure passenger transportation opportunities and continue to be an industry leader in North America
Vikingbus operating more than 300 coaches in Denmark are now able to offer tourist visiting Copenhagen a combined bus and canal tour ticket in the city´s extensive and famous canals with lots of historic sights to watch. As being a part of the Swedish Stromma concern we now operate 16 of our own Canal tour boats.
Vikingbus also introduces a one day trip via Sweden to the sunshine Island of Bornholm.
The Bornholm landscape is frequently cited as the island’s greatest attraction. It covers the entire Scandinavian spectrum in just a few square kilometers. Geologically, Bornholm is a treasure. We will send more than 50 coaches to Bornholm in the coming season for this destination.
Hop on the bus in the early morning and be back at the Tivoli Gardens in the evening – for just Euros 100 per person.
Vikingbus are the only coach company offering this unique possibility to our tourist and at such a slashing cheap rate.
As of 14 February 2012, Willem van der Leegte has joined the management team of the VDL Groep in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. He will be combining his new position as deputy director of the VDL Groep with his current position as managing director VDL Bus & Coach Nederland and VDL Bus & Coach Belgium.
Willem van der Leegte has been employed with the VDL Groep since 2004. He started at VD Leegte Metaal in Hapert (the Netherlands), the very origin of the VDL Groep. There he was introduced to all facets of the company, before focusing on sales. In 2007, he became managing director of VDL Bus & Coach Nederland and in 2010 of VDL Bus & Coach Belgium, making him
responsible for the sales and after sales of buses and coaches throughout the Benelux
Management Team VDL Groep
Alongside president Wim van der Leegte, the general board of the VDL Groep comprises four other members, namely Wim Maathuis, Jan Mooren, Theo Toussaint and Rini Vermeulen. The team is supported by eight deputy directors, Wim van Bakel, Simon Bambach, Rémi Henkemans, Jan Karssen, Christiaan Kluiters, Henri Koolen, Pieter van der Leegte and Willem van der Leegte.
Family business
The VDL Groep is a family business established in 1953 by Pieter van der Leegte senior, the father of president Wim van der Leegte. Alongside Willem van der Leegte (aged 30), Wim van der Leegte’s other two children are also employed in the company. Pieter van der Leegte (aged 41) is
also a deputy director, responsible for purchasing, international sales and marketing. Jennifer van der Leegte (aged 32) is a member of the Supervisory Board and is employed at VDL Nederland in the finance department.
VDL Groep
VDL Bus & Coach is part of the VDL Groep. VDL Groep, with its head office in Eindhoven, is an international company focused on the development, production and sales of semi-manufactured products, buses & coaches and finished products. In total, the group, with more than 7,100 employees, consists of 79 subsidiaries spread over 16 countries. The strength of the VDL lies in the mutual cooperation between the companies.
VDL Bus & Coach
The core activities of VDL Bus & Coach consist of the development, manufacturing, sales and after sales of a wide range of buses, coaches and chassis modules and the purchase and sales of second-hand buses. Manufacturing takes place in the Netherlands and Belgium. VDL Bus & Coach places high value on quality, safety, durability, comfort, low maintenance costs, low fuel consumption and the environment. Sales of VDL Bus & Coach products take place through a worldwide network consisting of corporate-owned sales offices, importers and agents in more than 30 countries. This makes it possible to offer custom-made transport solutions. For after-sales and maintenance, the client can count on rapid, hassle-free assistance from VDL Bus & Coach employees in any of the many service locations. An extensive distribution network ensures that spare parts and accessories are delivered to the requested destination as quickly as possible.
VDL Bus & Coach is one of the largest bus producers in Europe.
Arriva orders another large number of SB-200 chassis’s for delivery in 2012 through the VDL UK dealership Arriva Bus and Coach. The order consists of 80 single deck chassis’s. Arriva has proven that this chassis gives greater benefits than others tested, low fuel consumption, reliability and whole life costs.
Busworld Asia postponed to 2013
Busworld Asia, the most important showcase for the bus and coach sector in the Asian market, has been cancelled for the current year. The motivation is that organizers, pressed by the Chinese bus industry, are working to make the event more international in order to transform it into the Asian equivalent of Busworld Europe. The meeting has been postponed to March 20-22 2013 and it will take place in the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Busworld Kortijk will also take place in 2013, but at different dates (18-23 October).

Carnival season is called the 5th season in the Kvarner region which is our home region.
During that time tourist boards of the cities in the region organise different events and we have been chosen to be the transportation service provider for the Carnival in Rijeka and the Carnival in Opatija.
Because of the cold weather some events like the Childrens Carnival Parade in Rijeka were postponed but the Carnival season is so popular and important for the local inhabitants of this region that none of the events were cancelled.
The Carnival events which are still to be held and where we will be the transportation service provider are:
18th February – The Girandola of Opatija – Carnival Parade in Opatija
Opatija is known as the imperial holiday resort ever since 19th century and this Carnival Parade leads the masks through the historic streets of Opatija from the seaside promenade through the main street.
18th February – Children’s Carnival Parade in Rijeka –
http://www.ri-karneval.com.hr/en/events/childrens_carnival_parade
In this event all the youngest citizens of Rijeka and the surrounding area take part and they completely overflow the Rijeka’s main pedestrian area (called Korzo).
In the last parade in 2011. almost 6000 small masks took part and enlightened the day of all the viewers with their colourful masks.
19th February – International Carnival Parade in Rijeka
http://www.ri-karneval.com.hr/en/events/international_carnival_parade
This event is the crown of all Carnival ceremonies in the Kvarner area.
On Sunday 19th February hundreds of allegoric floats, thousands of masks and thousands spectators from Croatia and abroad will pass along the main pedestrian area in Rijeka (called Korzo).
Since it was organised in 1982, the International Carnival Parade in Rijeka has grown into an important European Carnival event.
Last year, the 2011. Carnival Parade was followed by more than 110 thousand people, with more than 9000 masks/participants from 107 carnival groups.
Our role at this carnival events is to safely transfer the participants of the Carnival from their home towns to the Carnival.
All the main streets in the Carnival cities will be closed for traffic on the day of the event, and only authorised coaches will be allowed to access the city centre.
Authorised coaches are city buses and coaches (such as ours) which will be transfering the carnival groups.
We wil be there, and you still have the chance to “BE WHAT YOU WANT TO BE – COME TO THE RIJEKA CARNIVAL! “
http://www.ri-karneval.com.hr/en/
If you want more information about this news click here