Virginia Motorcoach Association (VMA) has named Vicki Bowman its new executive director as the organization plans for the future and its in-person regional meeting in late summer.
Bowman is a marketing professional with a 16-year career in the bus industry, and founder of VB Group, a marketing and events resource firm specializing in organizational management, events planning and marketing services for regional associations.
Bowman and her team, who also have bus industry experience, will be responsible for VMA’s administration, membership growth, outreach and future planning for both on-site and virtual events.
Later this summer, 330-member VMA will be hosting its 2021 Regional Meeting jointly with the Motor Coach Association of South Carolina (MCASC) and North Carolina Motorcoach Association (NCMA) at the Hotel Madison in Harrisonburg, Virginia, August 8-11, 2021.
“The VMA Board reviewed several proposals from industry candidates and appointed Vicki because we like her vision of the future, her marketing skills, social media presence and professionalism,” said Jason Quick, president of Quick’s Bus Company, Staunton, Virginia, and president of VMA’s Board of Directors. “As our industry gets back to full strength after the pandemic, it’s the right time for a new vision to grow our operations for the future. Vicki offers us deep industry experience and the kind of support needed to help VMA members reach their goals.”
“It’s an honor to be a part of VMA, whose members are among the busiest carriers serving the Capital Beltway and attractions and communities up and down the Eastern Seaboard and beyond with charter and tour services,” said Bowman. “I look forward to working with VMA’s board to create achievable one- to five-year plans while serving their membership with an experienced motorcoach industry team dedicated to exceeding expectations.”
Bowman’s experience includes a long career as manager of marketing for Motor Coach Industries, where she managed the leading motorcoach builder’s marketing functions and customer events. Bowman and her teams helped build MCI’s connections with award-winning marketing campaigns, customer appreciation events and company sponsored participation in national and regional associations’ annual meetings and major expositions throughout North America.
Bowman also serves as executive director of the California Bus Association and volunteers as chair on the Marketing Committee for American Bus Association’s Women in Buses council. She is past President of the International Live Event Association (ILEA) of Greater Chicago and is a member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI) and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).