Event Transportation in Las Vegas, Nevada
Transportation planning and management for large meetings and conventions in Las Vegas requires experience, organization and lots of great customer service and communication. With year-round activity, events and traffic in all parts of the city, hotel shuttle navigation can be tricky and unpredictable. Shuttle routes can be long, so it’s especially important that meeting attendees have the information they need to plan their day and their departure times.
If you are a meeting planner, it’s important to work with a transportation company with tried and true experience in Las Vegas and strong knowledge of and experience in the following areas:
- Traffic Patterns– Because Las Vegas is always on the move, traffic can’t be avoided. A good understanding of traffic patterns will help guide an efficient route design that avoids heavily trafficked and touristy areas, so you can get meeting attendees quickly to their destinations.
- Handling the Rush– Many properties in Las Vegas can each accommodate thousands of guests, and there are numerous options for convention venues including the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Expo Convention Center and the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. With so many people moving from such large properties to meeting venues, it’s important that shuttles are staged properly for handling large rushes of people trying to get on shuttles at the same time. Generally for large meetings, a parking lot adjacent to the convention center can be used for shuttle check-ins and for driver breaks.
- Designated Shuttle Pick-up Areas– Each property has designated pick-up areas to accommodate shuttle buses and other types of vehicles for meetings and tours, so it’s really important to be familiar with access points and how best to group hotels on different routes. In addition, while route signs at hotels can be helpful, assigning designated shuttle loaders at each location significantly helps with communication to passengers and operations. Loaders are able to quickly let the operations team know if more attendees than expected are waiting for pick up, and to request dispatch of additional bus.
- Meeting Venue Differences– Each convention venue has its own method for handling shuttle buses, so your transportation management company should know the right questions to ask in advance that can help eliminate surprises when on site.
- Lane Closures– Sometimes there’s no other solution for certain events than to close a lane to accommodate shuttle buses. Understanding how to work with the county is critical to facilitate lane closures that won’t cause havoc for the city.
Let ETS Design Your Transportation Services
Event Transportation Systems (ETS) has handled transportation planning and execution in Las Vegas for many organizations including the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). With more than 42,000 attendees at HIMSS, and more than 23,000 attendees at NADA, we had to be prepared to manage a steady rush of people focused on arriving on time to a keynote, education session, or meeting on time.
We know that a bad travel experience can impact an attendee’s entire view of an event, which is why our deep understanding of Las Vegas and its unique hotels and venues help us successfully execute these meetings. In addition, we always employ route managers who come armed with knowledge about meeting attendees, key meeting details, knowledge of the city and smiles on their faces.
ETS provides reliable, customized ground transportation for meetings and events of all sizes across North America. Read about ETS’ shuttle tracking technology in the news: Trade Show News Network.
Download our Request for Proposal (RFP) template that can be used as a starting point for finding a transportation partner.