Transport is the part of an event that guests only notice when it goes wrong. A little planning keeps it invisible.
Whether it is a conference, a product launch, an awards dinner, a team away day or a board meeting with guests from abroad, people have to get from one place to another, often at the same time. A delayed guest can hold up a keynote speech, and a crowd waiting for taxis at the end of a dinner spoils a good evening. The six steps below help organisers get it right.
1. Map every movement
Airport or station to hotel, hotel to venue, venue to dinner, and home at the end. List who moves when. Write it down, as a simple table or a timeline, with names, times and places.
Start with the arrivals. Which guests are flying, which are coming by train and which are driving themselves? Note flight numbers and train times, and when each guest needs to be at the hotel or the venue.
Then work through the event itself. Are there movements between venues, such as from a conference centre to a dinner, or from a hotel to a site visit? Who needs to be where, and when?
Finally, map the departures. Guests leave at different times, some straight after the event and some the next morning. Each of those is a journey to plan.
2. Match the car to the group
Saloons for one or two, people carriers for small groups, eight-seat minibuses for teams. Count the luggage as well as the people. A car that fits five people may not fit five people and five suitcases.
Senior guests and speakers often travel alone or in pairs, and an executive saloon makes the right impression. Teams moving together are easier to manage in a people carrier or a minibus. Keeping a group together means nobody gets lost.
Think about any guests with mobility needs, and whether they need extra help or space. Ask them in advance, rather than on the day. It is part of looking after people well.
When you book with ZeroLanes, only the cars that fit your party and your luggage are offered. Each car has its own fixed price. You can see the whole cost before you confirm.
3. Book early
Big events in the same city at the same time compete for cars. Booking ahead secures the price and the car. Leaving it to the last minute is a risk.
When a big conference, a concert or a football match is on in the same city, demand for cars can be high. Hotels fill up, taxis are hard to find and the roads are busy. The earlier you book, the better.
Booking early also gives you time to check the details and make changes. If a guest’s flight changes, or someone drops out, there is time to sort it out. It is much easier than scrambling on the day.
Remember to check the cancellation policy for each booking, in case plans change. Read the cancellation policy before you book. It is better to know in advance.
4. Agree pickup points
A named door, not just the venue address. Big venues have several entrances. A driver waiting at the wrong entrance can cost half an hour.
Conference centres, hotels and stadiums often have several entrances, some of them a long walk apart. Choose one pickup point and tell every guest and every driver. Add a note to the booking to say which door to use.
Check the pickup point in advance if you can, especially at a venue you do not know. Some venues have set areas for cars, and others do not allow cars to wait at the door. Ask the venue’s events team.
Tell guests where to go, and send them the details before the event. A short message with the pickup point, the time and the car’s details helps. Your guests will thank you for it.
5. Plan the end of the night
The last movement is the one most often forgotten. Book it with the rest. At the end of a dinner or a party, everyone wants to leave at once, and taxis are scarce.
Late at night, guests are tired, and some may have been drinking. Knowing there is a car booked to take them back to the hotel or home is a relief. It is also safer.
Stagger the departures if you can, with cars booked at different times for different groups. That spreads the demand and avoids a crowd at the door. Some guests always want to leave early, and some always want to stay.
Keep a note of who has left and who is still there, so nobody is forgotten. It is easy to lose track at the end of a long night. One person in charge of the list helps.
6. Have one person own it
One organiser with every booking in one place, rather than guests arranging their own. When something changes, one person knows everything and can sort it out. It saves confusion and duplicated bookings.
If guests arrange their own transport, some will be late, some will get lost and some will spend more than they should. Costs are spread across expense claims, and nobody has a clear picture. Having one person in charge fixes that.
The organiser should have a list of every booking, with names, times, pickup points and the drivers’ details. Each journey page shows the driver’s name and the car’s make, colour and registration before pickup. Keep your phone charged and nearby on the day.
For regular events, a business account keeps every journey in one place, on one account. Your bookers choose the traveller and the cost centre for each journey. It makes the organiser’s job much easier.
For events you run regularly, a business account keeps every journey on one account and one invoice trail.
Ride with ZeroLanes. A car booked ahead, at a price fixed before you confirm, with the driver and the car on your journey page before pickup. Talk to us about a business account.