If you’re organizing a special event, then you want to make sure everything goes as planned. A big part of that is making sure to think through and organize all the small details before, during, and after the event occurs.
That said, there are several key mistakes that you’ll want to avoid when planning things such as transportation for your event. Having something go wrong with transportation can give off an unwelcoming first impression.
Fortunately, knowing these mistakes ahead of time can help you avoid them. See below for all the different event transportation mistakes that you’ll want to dodge at all costs.
1. Not Considering Traffic
One of the biggest mistakes that event planners make is not thinking through the timing of their event and how the local traffic will affect it.
For example, if you’ve set your event to start promptly at 9 am on a weekday, then you’ll want your guests to arrive up to an hour before then.
But that means transportation for your event will be fighting morning commute traffic. More traffic means a higher likelihood of a jam, which would provide a delay for your guests.
There are two things you can do to avoid this crisis. First, schedule your event’s start time with local traffic factored in. Second, you can hire a professional transportation service that will recommend pick up times to ensure timely drop-offs.
2. Hiring the First Transportation Company You Find
Not all transportation companies are created equal. Many event planners have a misconception that they can expect the same high-level service by picking any transportation service for their event.
However, a trusted transportation service has the experience and know-how that you need. You must make sure and take the time to find the right service for your event.
Do they have experience transporting people to events like yours? How do they train their chauffeurs? What’s the total price for their service with all event transportation fees included? How many vehicles would they recommend you rent for your event?
The more solid answers they give you, the more you can put your event transportation needs in their hands.
3. Not Hiring Professionals at All
Many event planners try to lower the overall budget for their event by skimping out on professional transportation. Instead, they’ll either hire friends/family to pick up their guests or just assign employees to each one.
Not hiring professional transportation can leave your entire event in jeopardy.
What if your guest speaker doesn’t show up on time? What if the “driver” you’ve assigned for pickup gets into a crash? What if one of your guests requires special services such as an elderly person or someone with an injury?
The only way you can ensure that everyone arrives safe and happy is by hiring professional transportation. It will help set a tremendous first impression for your event, having everyone arrive happy and eager to get the day underway!
4. Not Giving the Proper Address
Imagine the horror of receiving a call from one of your attendees saying that the professional transportation service dropped them off at the wrong location. You then realize you gave the service the wrong address for your event.
Granted, the minor mix-up of building numbers might mean they’re only a block away, but it will put a damper on your event. Now you’re putting the entire event in a tough spot.
Be sure to double-check the address that you’ve given the professional transportation service before the big day. That way, you won’t have any unwelcome surprises the day of.
5. Not Communicating the Transportation to Your Guests
Once you’ve scheduled a professional transportation service to pick up your guests, you will want to let everyone know about the arrangements that you’ve made.
You might have some guests that will try to make their own arrangements to drive to the event, but don’t let them.
You’ve organized the event transportation to make sure that everyone arrives around the same time. If you have a few people deviate from those arrangements, they might not arrive on time, thus sabotaging the entire event.
Make sure that everyone is on the same page with where transportation will pick them up from, what time, and how many people are allowed on each vehicle.
6. Not Providing a Headcount for Your Event
Providing an accurate headcount for your transportation service is important for a number of different reasons. It ensures that you don’t have too many or too few vehicles lined up for the big event.
Too few vehicles, and you’ll have guests that will have to make other transportation arrangements in order to arrive on time. In fact, guests that are left out of your transportation might decide not to attend your event at all.
Too many vehicles and you’ve overspent your budget on an unnecessary amount of limos or cars that you didn’t need.
Be sure to make a detailed guest list of who’s coming and provide an accurate headcount for your service. If anyone cancels, be sure to update the transportation company.
Avoid These Event Transportation Mistakes
Now that you’ve seen all the costly event transportation mistakes to avoid, it’s time for you to reach out to a trusted service.
Not sure where to start?
For more inquiries, please be sure to reach out via our contact us page and we’ll be happy to assist you further!
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