Global Passenger Network Bi-Annual General Meeting took place in Prague from 9th to 12th March
Global Passenger Network (GPN), established in July of 2006, is the first international passenger transportation organization of premium national motor coach networks or private companies which enjoy national recognition. GPN members meet twice a year in different cities around the world to discuss the direction and goals of the organization, initiate and monitor programs that benefit all members, coordinate and improve cooperation between members, plan marketing and technology interventions that ensure GPN’s success, and confront regional issues and regulations which influence the motor coach industry.
The 28th Global Passenger Network Bi-Annual General Meeting was hosted by Umbrella Holidays in Prague from 9th to 12th March. Our Member in Czech, Umbrella Holidays, successfully organized the Meeting and welcomed the GPN Members and Partners in Prague, a very picturesque city in the center of Europe.
During the meeting, Luis Pedrero announced that he will be stepping down from Chairman of the Board and that Agnes Pastuszak has been appointed by the Board of Directors to succeed him as Chairman of GPN. Luis Pedrero was thanked for serving as Chairman for the past 8 years and will continue to serve as Past Chairman. The new Chairman, Agnes Pastuszak has both extensive experience and know-how in the motor coach industry that are assets for GPN and its activities. In addition, there were changes in the members of the Board of Directors that will bring new ideas for the development of GPN. The new members Tomas Jelinek, Alexandre Delvallez and Bjorn Ragnarsson were welcomed by the members of GPN and Partners.
During this meeting, GPN welcomed 2 new members increasing its network of members to a total of 41 and expanding GPN’s presence in the continents of Asia and Africa. The new members are:
- GM2 Tours from Morocco established in 2005, with a total fleet of 376 vehicles and 3 offices (Casablanca, Marrakech and Fes)
- Hai Van Group from Vietnam established in 1994, number of employees reaching almost 1,000 people and serving 2 million passengers per year
Amidst the new challenge we are all facing worldwide due to the Coronavirus, round table discussions were held, during which members and Partners had the opportunity to exchange views and ideas regarding this situation and its impact on their business. Consequently, various aspects were discussed such as communication with clients, cancellation policies to be implemented, minimizing operational costs, requesting government & partner assistance and adopting new cleaning policies.
The members also had the opportunity to learn more about the benefits of the services offered by Eurowag, a new Alliance Partner of GPN, which include fuel cards, tolls and fleet management & mobile applications.
Agnes Pastuszak, Chairman, said: “GPN’s bi-annual meetings are a great opportunity for members to share their knowledge and practices with other professionals in the industry, especially in challenging times like the ones we are currently facing. For this reason, we feel that discussing the situation and how to deal with its impacts on our business was beneficial for us all. In addition, we are focusing on our strategies that will enable us to attract and accommodate the future increase in demand from travelers during the months that will follow. Together, as a team, we will overcome obstacles and come back even stronger. We are GPN!”
