So you’re in charge of planning for your conference. From booking hotels, keynote speakers, planning the various seminars, and activities, it can be very overwhelming. This doesn’t leave you with much time to call different Charter Bus companies to get a quote. Not to worry, we’ve done the work for you, be it a 5000 person event or a 50,000 one, we’ve managed it all. So with that experience, we’ve developed a guide to help you plan transportation for your next corporate event.
Figure out the number of Attendees
One of the most important aspects of planning is figuring out the number of attendees. You can obtain this figure from the number of people that have registered for the event, and use that to guide you in estimating the number of attendees.
Make note of the Various Venues
Especially with larger conferences, you might have different venues for different. You might have different seminars/talks going on at the same time in different venues, it’s important to make a note of this to pass on to your Transportation company to designate various areas of pick up/drop off, etc.
Designate Pick up/Drop off spots
Once you have figured out the various venues for your conference, it’s time to figure out the pick up/drop off areas. This should be conveniently arranged in close proximity to the venue to ensure attendees are able to find and board their vehicle as efficiently and promptly as possible. Airport pick ups, should be part of this planning as well, as attendees may need to be picked up from the airport to their hotel/venue, etc.
Determine the Type of Bus
Once you know the number of attendees, you’ll be able to figure out the type of Bus you’ll need to rent, and how many you’ll need. You can either opt for a Minibu which can transport 15-37 people or a Coach Bus which can accommodate up to 55 people. You can even opt for the 13 passenger van.
Plan shuttle Routes
As mentioned before, you may need to go back and forth between the same venues, as different events are taking place at different times. As one event finishes, you may need to pick up those who finished the event, while dropping off the next group at the same venue for their next designated event.
So once you figure out the pick up/drop off spots, you will need to come up with the different shuttle routes, including airport shuttle to make sure none of your attendees are left without transportation. Also you will need to figure out the frequency of the shuttle, every 30 minutes or hour, based on your needs.
Assign Site Coordinators
This is very important, it’s important to have people on site at various venues to make sure people board as promptly and efficiently as possible. We can do this for you, or your company reps can come and perform this task. A site coordinator will help coordinate in grouping attendees at their designated pick up spots, and make sure no one gets left behind, be at the airport or various venues.
Site Coordinators can serve as Bus Captains
Site coordinators can also served as Bus captains, who can be assigned to give briefings of events, activities, etc. onboard the bus. It will be important for site coordinators have a list of the attendees, and know who they’re in charge of.