How to Organize Transportation for Events

Have you ever stopped to think about how comfort can make a difference in your event experience?

Having a safe way to get to the venue and back can even be an amenity many attendees are willing to pay for!

That’s why it’s common for some organizers to offer transportation for events.

This is a pretty common practice at concerts. But it also happens at conferences, large congresses, and in the corporate world.

After all, attending an event is easier when amenities like food, lodging, and transportation are available to attendees. Do you agree?

So it’s worth checking out what you need to offer transportation at your event:

Is Transportation for Events Mandatory?

To start, offering transportation at events isn’t mandatory.

But offering the service to your attendees can be a very appealing differentiator.

Especially if the event is far from major hubs or involves moving between locations as part of the schedule. After all, it’s your job to make access to the venue easier!

And with dedicated transportation for the event, you can also encourage attendance and create a positive sense of belonging and care. Among the main benefits are:

Benefits of Event Transportation

More comfort and convenience for attendees;
A unique, appealing differentiator for your event;
Easier access to the event venue;
Greater safety for attendees;
A possible extra source of revenue alongside ticket sales.

But you’ve probably already noticed that not every event will need transportation, right?

That’s why it’s important to assess your audience and check whether transportation services are actually needed before signing contracts with providers. Let me show you how!

How to Organize Transportation for Events

Assess Your Audience and Event

The first step to organizing transportation for an event is understanding who your attendees are and the event’s characteristics.

So, consider:

Event location;
Time and duration;
Attendee profile: where they live, whether they’re coming from other cities, whether they have budget for outside services, and so on.

For example, a corporate event might offer transportation as a perk.

However, music events might charge for this service.

So, it’s important to look at your audience’s expectations before deciding on the best transfer options.

To do this, you can use Even3’s free audience survey form.

4 Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing a Transfer Provider for Your Event

1. Pay attention to fleet size and avoid overcrowding: the number of available seats should always be higher than your estimated attendance.

To find out how many attendees would use the transportation, estimate expected attendance based on data or an audience survey.

2. Offer good vehicles: your options should be accessible to everyone and comfortable.

So, always check the condition and cleanliness of the vehicles offered by the provider. And consider whether buses or vans make more sense.

3. Find a reliable provider: look for companies with certifications from transportation regulatory bodies. This helps avoid problems and provides more safety for your attendees.

Also check the drivers’ credentials.

You can typically check with your country’s land transportation regulatory agency for the laws and requirements a company needs to meet to offer this kind of service.

4. Organize schedules and routes: set departure times in advance and stick to them.

Transportation should also have pickup and drop-off points in locations that are easy to access, safe, and clearly marked.

Offer Transportation Purchases to Attendees

Finally, if you’re going to sell the transfer service, it’s time to set up a sales page.

This will make the service more accessible to your attendees, and give you better control over how many people will need transportation.

Ideally, this should be offered during event registration.

That way, attendees know transportation is available and can plan ahead.

For example, an organizer who wants to sell transfers for the event can create a specific ticket type or use Even3’s add-on store.

In practice, the options work like this:

Sell Transportation Together With Registration

You can offer a bundled option of ticket + transportation.

This can make it easier for people who’d have trouble getting to the venue on their own to register.

So, all you need to do is create the different ticket types for your event.

This can be done through a ticketing platform. Here’s how it works in practice on Even3:

Create a general admission ticket type and another for admission + transportation. You can create as many ticket types as you want on Even3;
In the description of the ticket with transportation, share everything attendees need to know! Add times, departure points, and so on;
Offer support during checkout to answer attendees’ questions. You can add WhatsApp or chat buttons to the ticket purchase page.

Sell Transportation Through the Event Store

Even with the bundled option, some attendees may prefer to purchase transportation separately, afterward.

In that case, you can list it as an item in your event store.

This is a feature offered by Even3, and it’s a possible source of extra revenue.

That way, your event will have an online store that can be accessed during ticket purchase or through a dedicated link.

To do this, you just need to activate the items and set the quantity available to attendees.
That way, you can create a single transportation item or split the options based on vehicle departure times.