business meetings + events Products, trends and sparks of genius to up the ROI on your next program You’ve got a convention to plan— meetings and workshops to schedule, speakers and caterers to line up and a gala to organize. But don’t forget your ground transportation. It may not be the sexiest part of your event, but it’s certainly a key to success. So much—such as where to hold the gala—depends on traffi c and transpor- tation. “You have a particular place in mind, but if it’s going to take 90 minutes to transport people from their hotels because of Friday night rush hour, you’re likely going to have to change venues,” says Anita Carlyle, managing partner at MCC Destination Management in Toronto. And then there are the incumbent construction, road closures—and Raptors games. When MCC was contracted a year ago to move 1,800 people from down- town, nobody knew the Raptors would go to the fi nals the same night. It meant routes and maps had to be changed the week before and then, when it was learned last minute that one of the hotel pick-up points was hosting a major fash- ion event, it had to be changed again. Bylaws, too, can be a challenge. For example, some streets are prohibited pick-up zones, while others can exact a huge premium. For one event, MCC had to pay an $18,000 extra charge, which included the permit, extra staff, lane closure approval and pylons and fencing materials. “These prices vary depending on time of day, number of vehicles and location,” Carlyle says. With convention attendees ranging anywhere from 100 to 3,000-plus, trans- portation companies depend on one or more reliable suppliers to meet the need. Those suppliers have responsibilities as well, such as providing suffi cient liability, fully trained drivers and safe vehicles that have up-to-date technology, Wi-Fi and GPS monitoring. ALL THE RIGHT MOVES by Alex Newman go to the fi nals the same night. It meant routes and maps had to be changed the week before and then, when it was learned last minute that one of the hotel pick-up points was hosting a major fash- ion event, it had to be changed again. go to the fi nals the same night. It meant go to the fi nals the same night. It meant routes and maps had to be changed the week before and then, when it was learned last minute that one of the hotel pick-up points was hosting a major fash- ion event, it had to be changed again. September | October 2019 | Ignitemag.ca | 41
