Conference transport fails in predictable ways. Almost all of them come from planning against averages instead of curves.
Arrivals are a curve
If 400 delegates arrive the day before, they do not arrive evenly across 12 hours. They cluster in two or three waves tied to flight banks. Ask the airport, or look at the flight schedule, and plan vehicles against the peaks rather than the mean.
Loops beat individual bookings
For hotel-to-venue movement, a continuous loop with a published frequency is easier for everyone. Delegates stop calling the organiser, and vehicles stop waiting for stragglers. Print the frequency in the delegate pack.
Agree the kerb before the day
Convention centres restrict where vehicles stop, and the restriction is often different during move-in, show days and move-out. Agreeing drop-off points in advance prevents coaches circling with delegates aboard.
Stagger VIP arrivals
Speakers and sponsors should not arrive in the same ten minutes as 300 delegates. Offsetting them by 20 minutes costs nothing and removes the worst of the congestion.
Have one person holding the plan
For anything above a hundred people, put a transportation lead on site with the vehicle list and the venue's contact. The alternative is your team relaying messages between drivers.
What to send an operator
Dates, venue, hotel list, delegate numbers by day, arrival and departure flight banks if you have them, the run of show, and whoever at the venue controls the loading area.
