Greetings,
There’s a lot going on at NEMPA this spring, so this letter is longer than usual. Please bear with us and read all the way through. Then none of us can plead ignorance . . . .
Winter Vehicle of New England
The voting is complete and the overall and class winners will be announced shortly. The awards themselves will be presented at our annual banquet on May 9 at MIT (after the tech conference), so winners have time to designate an executive and plan their trips to Boston. (Hint: It reflects badly on everyone when a company doesn’t show up to accept its award.)
Call for Conference Panelists
This year’s NEMPA-MIT tech conference is about how to meet new CAFE standards and safety regulations while still making cars that people both want and can afford. If your company would like to be heard on this topic, please get back to me with a name. (A more detailed topic description will be on our Web site shortly.)
The deadline to nominate panelists is this Friday, April 5. We will notify you by Monday if your representative has been selected for the panel.
We would like all panelists to be in Boston on May 8 for a get-acquainted dinner. The conference the next day will end by 4:00PM. If someone absolutely cannot stay for the awards banquet, there’s a 6:20 non-stop back to Detroit that evening.
Call for Conference & Banquet Sponsors
Sponsorships and tables are available at both the conference and the awards banquet that evening. We need your support to produce these great events at a great new venue on the MIT campus. If your budget allows, please get in touch with Lisa Brock, our executive director, to make the arrangements.
We thank you in advance for your participation and sponsorship, and we look forward to seeing you on May 9. We’ve let one OEM off the hook for a wedding, but that’s it—the rest of you are expected!
Next week
Instead of a regular monthly meeting, NEMPA media members will gather next Thursday evening, April 11, at the Automotion garage for a presentation by Subaru. Come join Dominick Infante and Jessica Tullman for an informative program about the new Forester.
The Ragtop Ramble & Crustacean Crawl
Wednesday and Thursday, July 17-18, may seem far off, but they’re really not. Last year’s record attendance has us working on this already, and you should be too. It’s our summer party, but it’s also a judged event. The earlier we have your cars in the fleet and the longer they stay, the better your shot at a trophy.
And in closing . . . .
NEMPA had a strong turnout of journalists at the New York International Auto Show last week, including myself, John Paul, Craig Fitzgerald, Cliff Atiyeh, Ezra Dyer, George Kennedy, Jim MacPherson, Kamil Kaluski and Dan Roth. It was great visiting with everybody—and after seeing James Bond at Land Rover, we’re thinking Ree Hartwell should be the next M.
Keith Griffin
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