So you’ve secured a venue, locked in your suppliers and are ready to host the event of the year! But there is one tiny, little thing we need to think about before we get too ahead of ourselves… how are you going to get everyone to your fabulous event?! Below we have highlighted 6 key tips to help you ensure that your guests have just as much fun getting there as they do at the actual event!
Tip 1: Before You Start
Before you get too carried away and book a horse drawn carriage or hot air balloon, clearly define what is required and what budget you have available to you.
Ask Yourself:
- What modes of transport are required? Do I need multiple?
- Do I need to organise any international or domestic flights? If yes, how many?
- Are attendees staying close by?
- What budget do I have available?
- Can I do this by myself? Or do I need help?
Flights
Organising flights for events can be time consuming and tricky if you don’t have all traveler information, an online registration system can help with this. If you have a lot of flights to organise and you aren’t used to this task I would recommend outsourcing this portion of your event planning to an event company.
Budget
Also don’t forget to clearly define your budget for transport. This will strongly impact the options that you have available to you. If you need to organise multiple modes of transport e.g. international flights & local transfers, consider dividing your budget into different categories to accommodate this.
Tip 2: It’s All About Timing
As they say, timing is everything, and it is no different with your transfers. Really think about your timings and do your research.
Ask Yourself:
- How long does it take to get from the pick-up location to the event location?
- What could impact this time frame?
- Do I need to stagger the arrival/departure times?
Depending on your mode of transport this time could be impacted by elements outside of your control such as traffic, road closures, airline delays or cancelations, etc. If you have a larger event, consider if you need to stagger your transfer arrival times. You do not want 300 attendees showing up or leaving your event all at once!
Tip 3: Escape the Ordinary
Your event starts the second your attendees arrive for their transfer. So while a buses or cars are simple options, why not set the tone for your event and add a bit of WOW factor while you’re at it?
Ask Yourself:
- Where is the venue located?
- What options are available to me?
- How long will people be travelling for?
- How can I make the journey fun and entertaining?
- Do I have any VIP guests I need to WOW?
Close to water? What about a boat? Heading up to the mountains? Have you thought about a helicopter arrival? Your options will be greatly impacted on where your event is located, your group size and your budget, but here is where you have the opportunity to get creative.
Tip 4: Use One of Your Biggest Assets
Your venue is a fabulous resource that you should use to your full advantage. Nobody knows the venue better than they do!
Ask Your Venue:
- What has worked well in the past?
- Where is the best location for arrivals?
- How much space is there for arrivals?
- Are there any restrictions?
Once you have locked in your transfers, make sure you update your venue on your plans. This way they can brief their staff so they know when to expect arrivals and can better manage this process for not only a seamless beginning to the event, but also the finish.
Tip 5: Put Together Your A Team
Unfortunately you can’t be everywhere at once, so we recommend assigning a contact or transfer leader for each transfer. This person will be your point of contact during the transfer so you can easily communicate any cancellations, changes or delays.
Ask Yourself:
- Who can I trust to be the transfer contact?
- How will I manage any cancellations or changes?
- How will I communicate with them?
We recommend that you share the transfer leader’s details with the other members of that transfer so that if anyone is delayed, gets lost or cancels they can contact someone who is onsite at the departure location. This will help avoid a delayed departure because people are missing. Don’t forget to get permission from the transfer contact to share their details first.
Tip 6: For the Independent Travelers
For most events you will also need to consider options for attendees to get themselves to and from the event.
Ask yourself:
- Parking
- How much is available?
- Is it accessible?
- Is it paid or free?
- Public transport
- How far is it from the venue?
- What time does the service run until?
- Is it clear how to get from the train station/bus stop to the venue?
- Is it safe at night?
- Do I need to organise a walking transfer?
- Taxi
- Where is the closest taxi rank?
- Is it easy to order a taxi to the venue?
- How long will it take for taxi’s to get to the venue?
- Do I need to pre-order any taxi’s?
This information should be made available for all event attendees and could be displayed on an event website, or sent out via a reminder email.
No matter how your attendees are arriving or departing it is important that they are given clear instructions prior to the event. To help you plan out your transfers we have created a FREE Transport Planner that you can download here. Remember the transfers are all part of the event experience that you are creating, so it is important to make them special where you can.
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