Managing Transportation for a Conference

Managing transportation for a conference depends on where the conference is being held and, to some extent, on the level of style and opulence that the conference demands. There's no right or wrong when it comes to the latter aspect but the facilities need to be matched to the conference image.

Practical Aspects of Managing Transport

Looking at the practical aspects first, if your conference is in a city located conference venue with good public transport links then it's reasonable to assume that your delegates will make their own transport arrangements. In that case the only thing that you will have to do in terms of transport is to make sure that delegates and speakers get the right information so that they can plan their travel.

In most cases that transport information can be provided by the venue, particularly if it is a specialist conference centre. But even venues running conferences on the side such as hotels, museums or educational establishments are likely to have the relevant travel information to hand. It's easier if you can get that information in electronic form so that you can integrate it into your own publicity material and information handouts.

Managing Transport with Remote Venues

Things can get trickier if the venue is a remote location like a country hotel or conference centre, particularly if it is an international conference and delegates and speakers may not have their own cars. In these situations it's worth making sure that there is a minibus or large car available to transport people from nearby railway stations to the conference venue.

The venue may well have such a vehicle available but it depends on what sort of venue it is as to whether it will do the job that you need. This is where the need to match the style of the conference, and the company holding it, comes into play.

Getting the Right Level of Style

If the conference venue is an upmarket country hotel then there's a good chance that they will have a relatively slick vehicle to transport people around the area, either a limousine or a luxury minibus. But if the available transport is a more utilitarian minibus or a small car, then it may not be the right transport to use as it might not reflect the values of the conference or the company holding it.

On the other hand, if the conference is about environmental issues or the company holding the conference is a charity or other organisation that have to be seen to be making the most of every penny, then a lacklustre vehicle may be exactly the right transport option.

Male Sure You Have a Driver Available

If you do decide that hiring a minibus or large car for the duration of the conference is the right thing to do, then do consider hiring a driver as well. This is a significant investment and it could be that the driver is rarely used if everyone brings their own car or hires one. But it's a big risk to decide that you will be able to cope because you or one of your conference staff will be available whenever someone needs to be collected from or taken to a station.

It will invariably be the case that an important delegate or speaker will want to be taken somewhere when everyone is rushing around doing things at the conference itself. So if image and customer service is important for the company and the conference, then having a driver on standby will protect that image.