Regional and global conferences can be a fantastic way to bring your teams together, communicate key messages, deliver training and motivate employees. However, I’ve often seen companies struggle to manage the travel logistics for their delegates when organising them.
Smooth travel plans are a critical part of any successful conference, but they can be overwhelming to manage for companies having delegates attending from around the world. Coordinating flights and arrival times, organising airport transfers and negotiating group rates are just some of the challenges.
My recommendation is to have just one point of contact that can handle the event and travel logistics, including flights, visas, insurance and ground transfers. This kind of company should have someone on call as 24-hour emergency support for things like cancelled or delayed flights, missed flights and other last-minute changes. You should also look for a global company that can use its offices around the world to get the best fares, including specially negotiated group rates through its global network.
In order to streamline all travel, I suggest using the latest technology. For large events, it is worth using an online event management system that can allow your delegates to register their attendance, enter their flight preference, track their flight bookings, etc. This can then help you
generate instant reports whenever you need updates on delegate arrivals, departures and changes. Once delegates are in the system, it can then be used to send text updates regarding flight status, transfers, etc. Customised smartphone apps can even be created so information is constantly available at delegates’ fingertips.
The experience that your staff or delegates have in getting to and from an event can dramatically influence their overall impression, so don’t allow for the chance that things might go wrong. Just leave it to the experts!
