Coach Op Session #3 – AI Ready for 2027: A Practical Plan for Bus Operators – PART A
Stop Waiting for the Phone to Ring: A Practical Guide to AI Readiness for 2027
Tuesday, November 3rd. 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM. Bingemans: Heritage Room C
Coach Op Session #4 – AI Ready for 2027: A Practical Plan for Bus Operators – PART B
Stop Waiting for the Phone to Ring: A Practical Guide to AI Readiness for 2027
Tuesday, November 3rd. 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM. Bingemans: Heritage Room C
It’s 10 PM. A wedding planner is searching for a bus for next month. She’ll probably book you. But will she find you directly, or through someone who takes a cut before the job reaches you? This session teaches you the basics of AI in plain English, so you can put it to work in your business in 2027. We’ll look at what AI is actually good for in a bus operation, shown on real work that you do everyday: quotes,emails, job postings, and the reviews people leave about you. Then we’ll cover how to make sure the customers looking for a bus find you first, and come back. No tech background needed. You’ll walk out with a 10-point action plan and a personal AI coach that builds a step-by-step plan around your operation. This Ai coach will guide you long after the session is done.
Lets make 2027 the year AI starts working for your business!
Presenter Bio
Sam Rostainajad is the founder and CEO of GridOps, where he works directly with Canadian bus operators to bridge the gap between day-to-day operations and modern technology. He’s sat with dispatchers, owners and drivers and seen the problems they deal with every day. Sam takes a practical, straightforward approach, helping operators cut through the tech hype and use modern tools like any other tool in the shop: simplify driver and bus dispatching, convert more website visitors to booking, and protect their margins from third-party brokers.
Coach Op Session #5 – Connecting with the Cruise Industry for Transportation Opportunites for Bus Operators
Tuesday, November 3rd. 2:45 PM – 3:45 PM. Bingemans: Heritage Room C
Presenter Bio
Born in the UK – Stephen Burnett’s early career includes management positions with Globus Holidays in Switzerland, Four Winds Holidays in New York & Japan, Holiday House, Fiesta Holidays and Jonview Canada. While president of Toronto-based Horizon Holidays, he worked closely with Germany’s Oberramergau Passion Play, the single largest cultural tourism event in Europe. While at Jonview, he inaugurated Canada’s “Learning Travel Forum”. Stephen is a former partner at Lakeshore Excursions, providing shore excursions and planning services to cruise lines in North America. In Ontario, he plays a pivotal role in the development of Great Lakes Cruising as Executive Director of the Great Lakes Cruise Association. Over the past twenty-two the association has incubated the long dormant Great Lakes cruise trade and brought this industry back into the Great Lakes. In 2005 – Stephen’s firm was hired by Parks Canada to prepare the assets along the Rideau Canal – including Fort Henry and the Kingston defences, to compete for a UNESCO designation as a World Heritage Site. The bid was successful, and these heritage assets were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2007. Stephen co-authored a proprietary product development process targeted at the cultural tourism segment entitled “The development of the Cultural Corridor”. He is also a published author with two books currently being sold in five countries and an additional five more topics being researched. Stephen is an avid motor-racer, a vintage automobile builder, and an enthusiastic boater – constructing a boat in his driveway during the pandemic. He was also instrumental in the development of an experimental amphibious vehicle. Stephen lives in Kingston Ontario with his wife, several cars and 48 lavender plants.
Coach Op Session #6 – Effective Digital Marketing: How to Generate More Leads and Turn Them Into Customers
Wednesday, November 4th. 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM. Bingemans: Heritage Room C
This presentation explores how operators can succeed at lead generation — from search and AI optimization to content, conversion optimization and follow-up — to attract the right customers and turn more online opportunities into bookings.
Presenter Bios
Thom Ellsom is a Partner and Director of Web Services at RKD with over 25 years of experience in web technology, digital strategy and client services. His background spans custom web development, digital marketing, integrations and managing complex web projects. He focuses on helping organizations make practical technology decisions that support growth, improve customer experience and create long-term value
Bryan Coles is a Client Strategist at RKD Web Studios with 20+ years of experience in digital marketing. His expertise includes SEO and AEO, lead generation and conversion, performance tracking and reporting, and web strategy.
His background in business development, web technologies and project leadership gives him a practical, results-focused approach to digital strategy.
RKD Web Studios (www.rkd.ca)
RKD is a Guelph, Ontario-based digital agency specializing in custom websites, web applications, digital marketing and ongoing support. Since 1996, RKD has helped organizations use technology and digital strategy to generate leads, improve customer experience and support growth.
Coach Op Session #7 – 52 Solutions That Would Fit Your Idea of Understanding Your Business – Revenue VS. Cost
Wednesday, November 4th. 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM. Bingemans: Heritage Room C
Benchmarking your business against industry standards. This presentation is less about collecting data and more about understanding what the data is actually telling you. Using industry examples, it explores why organizations often make poor decisions despite having access to dashboards, telematics, claims information, safety metrics, financial data, and operational reports. Through a simple exercise called the “52 Solutions Problem,” the session demonstrates how bias, assumptions, and information overload can lead managers to the wrong conclusions. It then focuses on practical ways to identify meaningful trends, separate signal from noise, benchmark performance appropriately, understand the importance of context when reviewing metrics, and ensure that data drives real operational improvements. The key takeaway is that successful operators are not necessarily the ones collecting the most information, but the ones who can accurately interpret it, compare it against meaningful benchmarks, and turn those insights into actions that improve safety, profitability, and overall business performance. This aligns well with discussions around understanding revenue versus cost drivers and benchmarking business results against industry standards because it helps operators determine which metrics truly matter and how to use them to make better management decisions
Presenter Bio
Rick Brown is a transportation risk and safety professional with more than 25 years of experience spanning fleet operations, driver training, compliance, claims, and insurance risk management. He has worked directly with fleets across Canada, supporting organizations through collision investigations, cultural resets, post-incident reviews, and long-term safety strategy development.
Rick holds multiple National American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) designations, including Certified Director of Safety (CDS) and Certified Driver Trainer (CDT), and is actively involved in industry leadership through training, speaking, and volunteer governance roles. He is known for his practical, candid approach to safety culture, challenging fleets to look beyond compliance and examine how leadership decisions, operational pressure, and communication shape real-world driver behavior.
