Why We Partner with Indian Trails: Michigan Dental Association
It’s a nightmare scenario for every event planner: You order something crucial to the event’s success, only to realize later that you’ve scheduled it for the wrong date.
That’s exactly what happened to Andrea Sundermann, who plans events for the 5,500-member Michigan Dental Association (MDA) as the organization’s continuing education director.
“It was the last minute, several years ago, when I realized I had booked the wrong dates for the Indian Trails’ shuttle buses we were going to need for our annual convention,” she recalls. Knowing that our buses are typically booked for months out—and in a controlled panic—Sundermann phoned to see what we could do.
“They were able to contract out with some of their other resources, and we got all the buses we needed,” she says. “Even in a clinch, Indian Trails was able to come through for me, and I’m forever indebted.”
Besides its Annual Session, the MDA organizes three scientific and 15 one-day sessions each year to keep its member dentists up-to-date on their clinical and practice management skills. The events also enable dentists to earn continuing education credits toward the 60 they must have every three years for license renewal.
When Lansing Hosts the MDA
Since 2002, Lansing has been included in the three-year rotation of sites for the MDA Annual Session. The other locations are Grand Rapids and Detroit.
“Initially, we didn’t know if Lansing could accommodate all the members that come to our session,” says Sundermann, adding that the ability to shuttle members between the Lansing Center downtown and outlying hotels was a big factor in adding the Capital City to the rotation.
With the help of the Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau staff, Sundermann turned to Indian Trails after her experience with a different transportation company failed to meet her expectations.
She also worked closely with GLCVB staff for its expertise on local attractions and essentials such as signage and parking. “They served like an addition to my small staff—they even set up booths at our hotel sites, and provided guides offering shuttle schedules and other information for our members.”
How Indian Trails Met Expectations
“Indian Trails’ buses, its onsite service, and customer assistance are just awesome,” says Sundermann, who worked with Theresa McNamara, our inside sales supervisor, for the MDA’s four-day Annual Session last month. “Theresa helped me arrange the charters and then was onsite while we were here.”
“Having confidence in her ability to handle things, and knowing I didn’t have to worry about it was wonderful,” Sundermann adds. “It’s something you really appreciate as an event planner.”
The annual session included three hours of concurrent sessions each morning and afternoon, with many options to gain continuing education credits, as well as clinical and practice management updates. A trade show with some 200 exhibits was also part of the convention.
The MDA used six of our motorcoaches to shuttle attendees, including dentists, dental assistants and hygienists, from their hotels to the Lansing Center, and then to other off-site locations for evening entertainment.
Sundermann’s ability to contact our drivers if a session or event ended early was important. “The Indian Trails’ drivers were great,” she says. “Each one gave me their cell phone number so I could contact them if I needed to.”