Your upcoming event could be one for the history books — especially if you put time into planning event transportation for your guests.

Travelling to and from the venue plays a big part in each guest’s overall experience of the event itself. Get it right, and it can give your attendees a stronger perception of your company.

Follow the steps in this article to get your guests to and from your event in comfort.

Why arranging event transportation is important

60% of business leaders state that arranging in-person events is essential to running a successful company. But you need to make them worthwhile for your attendees, and transport feeds into the event’s overall success.

Depending on the location of your event, there may already be several travel options for your guests, such as public transport or driving. But these options put all the pressure on your guests to find their own way to your event on time.

Those who drive their own vehicles must find a parking space, which could be challenging at larger events, busy cities, and small locations — and parking often comes at a price.

Instead, you should take event transportation into your own hands. Here’s why:

Your guests feel welcome and have less to worry about;
Everyone arrives on time;
Increased brand perception from people outside your company;
Improve employee engagement and morale amongst your employees;
Everybody gets home safely after the event.

When you’ve decided to offer transport to the event, there’s plenty to consider — but you’ll be glad you did it.

Person at a corporate event who arrived with special event transportation.

6 steps to successful event transportation management

1. Consider whether it’s necessary

In most cases, arranging transportation for events is necessary. Even if you don’t think you need to put the time into planning transport, it’s worth investing in travel to help elevate the experience of your attendees.

If you invite guest speakers or hosts to take part in your event, then you should provide them with special event transportation — and improve their impression of your company.

2. Set your budgets

Knowing how much you can spend is a crucial part of planning transport for events.

The lowest available price shouldn’t be the deciding factor here. Instead, you should choose a travel supplier where you only need to pay for what you spend. With Bolt, there’s no minimum spend.

💡 Pro tip: know the total cost of corporate event transportation services in advance. To do this, collect quotes from the event transportation services you’re considering. With Bolt Business, you can set a spending allowance for each person or group of people.

3. Research the venue, surrounding area, and travel options

Knowing all about the area around your venue will help you make the final decision about event transport solutions.

Doing your research about the streets surrounding your venue will reveal the amount of space available to vehicles (especially coaches) when it comes to turning around. And whether there’s ample parking for anyone using their own vehicle.

To find the most suitable transport for your guests, you’ll need to consider:

The location of your event;
The time of day;
The type of event you’re hosting;
Whether you need to transport any goods;
Who’s attending the event (employees, clients, guest speakers).

Depending on the answers to the above, your transport needs will change, but it’s a good idea to arrange transport that is flexible and convenient for getting to and from the venue.

Keep reading to get a detailed breakdown of your transport options.

4. Think about special guests and speakers

If your event has a host or guest speakers, they’ll likely have different travel requirements from the rest of your guests. They may need to arrive earlier, and if this is their first time working with your company, then some special treatment goes a long way.

Take into account that their journey to your event could cover a long distance. Taking responsibility for their travel increases the chances of them working with your company again.

A guest speaker at a corporate event who arrived on time as the company arranged event transportation.

5. Be aware that guests don’t often leave at the same time

Depending on your event, there will most likely be a set start time, but your guests will make their minds up about when it’s time to go home. When the time comes for guests to call it a night, they shouldn’t have to wait around for the departure of a bus or event shuttle. But it’s still your responsibility to get them home safely.

6. Collect feedback after the event

Your guests hold the answers to finding the most suitable event transport services for your upcoming events. To find out how to make transport even more convenient for everyone next time, send out a survey and collect feedback.

You’ll learn a lot, and your next event will be even better.

Event transportation solutions

1. Buses or coaches

Buses and coaches are a good option when you’re moving a large number of people from one destination to another. If you plan to use them after the event, too, you’ll likely need to pay for them to sit outside the venue for the length of your event.

💡 Pro tip: if you’re hiring a bus, coach, or shuttle, ask for photos of the vehicles in advance — it’s important to give a good impression to your guests.

2. Ride-hailing

Getting a ride to the venue (and home afterwards) is convenient for every guest:

Travel when it suits them;
They don’t need to park;
Takes them from door to door;
Schedule rides 3 days in advance.

With Bolt Business, you can create Coupons to cover the cost of travel for your guests.

3. Event shuttle services

An event shuttle is ideal when you want to pick up a group of people from multiple locations for an event that covers much of the day. Your shuttles can have a set route where attendees can get on board.

One downside is that you can’t guarantee the shuttle will be full, so you could be paying for a service that many of your attendees don’t use.

4. Public transport

The location of your event will reveal whether public transport is a viable option. If it’s in the middle of a city centre, there’s likely to be a range of public transport options. But you can rule this out if there aren’t any train, bus, or metro links.

In terms of arranging transport for your employees, public transport can get complicated. You can book tickets for people in advance or allow employees to expense their travel. But this creates additional administration work, and potentially leaves your guests out of pocket for some time.

5. Scooters and e-bikes

Attendees who live near the venue can use Bolt scooters and e-bikes for a sustainable trip. They can also use them to supplement another form of event transportation — getting people to a coach, shuttle, or public transport, for example.

There are many positives to taking this approach:

Reduce congestion around the venue;
Boost the sustainable credentials of your event;
They take up little parking space (12 scooters fit in one car parking space).

If there’s alcohol at the event, arranging another form of transport for getting people home is important. Using a scooter or e-bike under the influence of alcohol is strictly prohibited. If there’s alcohol at the event, your attendees can order a Bolt ride instead.

Event transportation services

With Bolt Business, you make a range of comfortable, convenient, and reliable event transportation services available to your guests.

Bolt Business

Bolt Business allows you to control, manage, and pay for a range of event transportation from a single account.

After making an account, you’ll have access to your Company Dashboard. Here, you can add the people attending your event and set spending allowances so everything is within budget.

Depending on where your event takes place, your guests have access to a range of mobility options:

Get picked up by a driver;
Hop on a scooter or e-bike;
Get behind the wheel with Bolt Drive.

Bolt Business Ride Booker

Ride Booker allows you to book rides up to 3 days in advance on behalf of your guests — they don’t even need the Bolt app.

After you make the booking, an SMS message gives your guest all the details about the ride. If you make a flexible booking for your guest, the SMS will also contain an activation link, allowing them to book the ride at any time on a specific date.

This is ideal for special guests or speakers travelling from other cities or countries and needing a transfer from the airport or train station.

Event transportation FAQs

How do you get people to and from an event?

Getting people to and from your event depends on the location and purpose of the event. Arranging a bus or shuttle is a convenient way to get a group of people from one place to another.

When your guests travel from various destinations, it’s better to offer a more personalised service through ride-hailing and micromobility services, such as Bolt Business.

Why provide event transportation?

Arranging travel to and from the venue makes it easier for your attendees to arrive on time and ready to enjoy the event. Choosing the right transportation service for your event increases convenience, reliability, and safety for everyone.

Use Bolt Business for your next event

Events play a big part in the success of your business. By providing comfortable, convenient, and reliable transport, your guests will have a better impression of your company after the event.

One way to achieve this is with Bolt Business — which gives everyone a convenient way to get to the venue with a means of transport that suits them.

Sign up with Bolt Business today to give your guests an even better experience the next time you host an event.

Event transportation guide: how to arrange reliable transport

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