The Flexi-team are rather pumped as we’ve been selected as finalists in the 2009 Melbourne Awards! We applied under the category of “Contribution to Environment – Corporate”. We’ll find out if we’re a winner on Saturday 29 August at the Awards dinner at the Town Hall. Fingers, toes and windshield wipers will be crossed!
(We’re feeling hopeful, perhaps because of Flexicar CEO Monique Conheady’s recent exciting win being selected for a Churchill Fellowship. Congratulations Monique!).
Flexicar are excited to announce that we now have two Hybrids in the Flexicar fleet, made possible by our friends at Honda who have provided the cars for twelve months. (More on this story here). The media launch was held today – in the “pretty but chilly” setting of Melbourne’s City Square. Honda Ambassador, fashion designer Akira Isogawa, helped “unveil” the Melbourne Hybrid Dreamer. The second Hybrid is kicking off today in Crown St, Surry Hills.
Some pics of the media launch, hosted by Honda, are below. These were taken on the rather wee Flexicar camera. Once we have the “professional images” we’ll be able to share these with you.
Monique Conheady speaking at launch
The unveiling
Monique Conheady, Lindsay Smalley (Honda) & Fashion Designer Akira Isogawa
"Dreamer" looking snazzy
We’re in the throws of marketing planning for 2009 for Flexicar. And it prompted me to give thanks to our members. Because every month last year, the #1 or #2 means of attracting new members was, well, you!
In 2008, because so many of you told your friends, colleagues, bosses, etc about Flexicar, we not only welcomed hundreds of new members, we also handed out over $10,000 in driving credits to you and another $10,000 of driving credits to those you referred. On top of that, we were able to add over 15 new Flexicars for you to drive.
Don’t you just love it when a phrase like “Win-Win” has some real meaning?
So please, keep up the good work with the referrals. And we promise to do the same.
Kimberly the Marketing Chick
The Flexicar team are feeling rather excited this week, as we’ve been chosen as a finalist in the United Nations World Environment Day Awards. Our category is “Best Specific Environmental Initiative” and our small business is up again a couple of giants – Alcoa and Origin Energy. We want to congratulate the other finalists – and jump up and down a little about a small business like Flexicar being in the same class as these big businesses.
Putting the Awards entry together, it was amazing to realise just how many ways Flexicar – and our members – are “kicking the carbon habit” – the theme of this year’s World Environment Day.
I don’t have the space to go into it all here, but a couple of key points were:
* Flexicar members only drive an average of 500km a year – compared to the average Aussie, at 15,000 km a year!
* With our current membership numbers, we’ve taken around 500 cars off the road
* The most common method of transport used by our healthy and environmentally conscious Flexicar members is….their own feet!
The winners will be announced on Friday 6th June at an Awards Dinner. We’ll have fingers and toes crossed!
Here’s a bit more from the UN about the awards:
“Held as part of celebrations for the United Nations’ World Environment Day (5 June), these Awards acknowledge actions taken at a local level to address global environmental issues. The 2008 United Nations World Environment Day theme, ‘Kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy’, and the 2008 International Year of Planet Earth focus particular attention on global warming and on the responsibility of countries, companies and communities to de‐carbonise their lifestyles.
The standard of this year’s finalists is outstanding, which reflects the growing awareness across all Australian sectors of the critical role the environment plays in all aspects of human endeavour.”
Kimberly the marketing chick
Whilst many people were easing back into the new year, the Flexicar team have had to hit the ground running thanks to a record month of new members. Flexicar have had their biggest month ever of member sign ups, thanks in large part to our brief but generous free membership promotion. We also have to thank our enthusiastic Flexicar members, who are always out there singing the praises of Flexicar to their friends, family and workmates (and landing their 3 free hours while they’re at it).
And why should you care if Flexicar has more members? Well, more members mean we can add more cars around town for you to use! There’s a ratio of cars to members that Flexicar work to, ensuring that there’s always the best possible access to cars whilst keeping our rates as low as you’d like. We’ve got new cars coming soon to Melbourne’s Docklands and inner-city Sydney plus some other areas that are too top secret to announce yet!
Subscribe to Flexicar blog feed