Mark Sharpe gave a presentation at today’s Exchange Club luncheon addressing the need for a transit plan for the Tampa Bay area and really seems to understand the value of providing mobility options and how it will affect people and organizations decisions to visit, relocate or do business here.

I commended him on Facebook where he is currently the most actrive local elected official, consistently utilizing the medium as a platform for discussion.

In serving five years on the National Ad 2 board I have had a part in planning Ad 2 conferences in eight different cities; San Francisco, Nashville, Phoenix, Orlando, Louisville, Denver, Atlanta and Cincinnati.

Each conference required a mix of meeting space, catering, office and printing services, restaurants and entertainment options as well as required a simple transportation plan.

Each year we improved our process for selecting a host city and have had as many as four different Ad 2 chapters bid to host our mid-year retreat.

Each year one of largest deciding factors is mobility. Can we get around on foot or use some kind of transit option?

Coordinating 40 people in cabs is difficult and expensive and chartering a bus would be risky due to the fluidity of our attendance numbers over the course of the retreat.

I am looking forward to being a part of what unfolds for Tampa Bay.