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Carol Henderson is the vice president of business development for Brightline, the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger rail service in the United States, which launched last year with service between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Henderson has been with the company since 2013, but before Brightline, the majority of her career was with Walt Disney Attractions where she headed the regional office in Miami as the director of participant and alliance marketing. In that role, she oversaw the strategic marketing, promotions and public relations for the southern region of Florida.
Henderson sheds light on the future of Brightline as it transitions into Virgin Trains USA with plans to add additional stops throughout Florida, as well as establish a new passenger rail system that will connect Las Vegas to Southern California.
What differentiates Brightline from other trains in the United States?
As the only privately owned and operated intercity passenger rail service in the United States, we are proud to provide a travel option that lives at the intersection of transportation and hospitality. We’re focused on the guest experience, starting with arrival at our modern new stations and assisted check-in with our smiling staff to countless in-cabin amenities everywhere you look.
Our model is simple, we are looking at markets that are too far to drive and too close to fly—roughly 200 to 400 miles apart. We believe people are looking for an alternative form of transportation and Brightline provides one that is safe, reliable, productive and environmentally friendly.
Why is it important to break the mold of current transportation offerings?
Successful intercity passenger rail lines are all over the world. America is 30 years behind Europe and Asia when it comes to passenger rail. There are a number of trends that show people are interested in alternative forms of travel.
In what way does Brightline play a role in the South Florida MICE industry?
We are connecting three major cities in South Florida, providing meeting planners and incentive groups with endless options of venues for their events and corporate gatherings, which means (groups) no longer having to worry about traffic woes and transportation barriers within the region. Our stations are conveniently located in close proximity to the three major convention centers. In addition to providing a means of transport to the venues, Brightline is also serving as a venue. We’ve seen many companies use our train as a means for a creative venue for a meeting or event. A popular South Florida law firm even hosted an all-staff training aboard our train. Instead of taking a traditional route of a large, in-house conference room, they booked their entire team on Brightline, hosting the mandatory HR meeting on the intercity, high-speed railway service instead. It’s just one of many examples of area businesses embracing Brightline (soon Virgin Trains USA) in a non-traditional way.
Last November Brightline and Virgin Group (the well-known travel and entertainment investment group and brand) announced a strategic partnership that will rebrand Brightline to Virgin Trains USA. What does the future of Brightline look like as it transitions into Virgin Trains USA?
Brightline and Virgin Group are forming a strategic partnership to continue to grow America’s first privately funded intercity passenger train in more than 100 years. Virgin is a globally recognized brand that has a long history of bringing new standards to the travel industry by focusing on guest experience. Together we will reinvent train travel for our current and future guests. This year we have a lot in store including our brand transition to Virgin Trains USA.
What can the MICE industry specifically look forward to as this company expands?
We have many exciting developments on the horizon. Currently, we are operating in Florida between Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, connecting South Florida’s key hubs. Our expansion plans include connecting our existing system to Orlando and Tampa. Additionally, we recently announced plans to construct an intercity passenger rail system to connect Las Vegas to Southern California. All of these expansion plans will help to create connections and vast networks within the industry between the various markets that have traditionally been too close to fly and too long to drive.
