Relive the IFMI Digital Masterclass: How to manage your fleet during a pandemic

There is no playbook for dealing with a global pandemic like COVID-19. But fleet professionals can learn a lot from each other. And that’s exactly what you get from this IFMI webinar. 

Via seminars and digital masterclasses, the International Fleet Managers Institute (IFMI) offers managers of international vehicle fleets the opportunity to learn more about ongoing trends and become more effective in their roles. 

Securing continuity

No event in living memory is as dramatic as the ongoing coronavirus crisis – so the obvious topic of IFMI’s first event of the year was: How to secure Fleet Management continuity in times of COVID-19. 

The digital masterclass was live on Wednesday 15 April and is an organisation of Fleet Europe, in partnership with leading fleet management and leasing companies ALD, Athlon, Arval, and LeasePlan and sponsored by SEAT. 

Three topics

This first Digital Masterclass was crammed with actionable ideas. The speakers focused on three topics. A short overview:

• What can Fleet Managers do to secure business continuity today.

“Review your contract and mileage terms with your lease company. And extend contracts to offset the longer delivery delays of new vehicles,” were just two of the suggestions by Shams Dine El Mouden (Arval).

“The adversarial approach is not the best one – everyone is hurting,” said Mark Taylor (Athlon). And: “Prepare now for the after-crisis era. Already now, we’re seeing signs of vehicle demand increasing again.”
 

• How can international fleet managers secure the best outcome in terms of fleet policy and strategies for tomorrow.

“Pricing info is important, but also very uncertain at the moment,” said Sjoerd Brenters (LeasePlan), who suggested a few other focus points to build a ‘crisis-proof’ policy. 

Now os a good time to include alternatives in your policies, “such as pool cars, short-term rental cars and mobility allowances,” said Anne Chidiac (ALD), who lauded the benefits of a pro-active attitude. 
 

• A testimonial by an international fleet manager, on how to deal with the current situation. 

Managing around 25,000 vehicles in more than 80 countries, Huub Smeets (PMI) knows first-hand what it means to deal with the fallout of this crisis. His advice: “Don’t act rashly, stay calm and focus on your strategy. And work even more closely with your suppliers.”
 

For much more – on what to do with tenders, the likely availability of new models (and in particular EVs) and more – relive the Digital Masterclass.