The following checklist was
compiled with the assistance of Lisa Fraser, director of operations
for Seattle Hospitality Services (www.seattlehospitality.com), a full-service
destination management company.
INITIAL
CONSIDERATIONS
How many people will be attending
your meeting?
If you cannot know the exact number,
what is the minimum and maximum number of attendees you will
have?
Do any of your attendees have
disabilities that will require special consideration when it comes
to choosing transportation options?
Will airport meet-and-greets and
departures be arranged by the host organization, or will attendees
be on their own upon arrival?
IF HOSTED
Coordinate with a destination
management company or a transportation supplier for sedans, vans
and/or motorcoaches, along with greeters, to meet arriving
attendees.
What days and between what hours will
the transportation be provided?
Who will be creating the arrival and
departure manifests to forward to the DMC?
How many days in advance of the first
arrival must the manifest be received by the DMC?
Estimates cannot be determined by the
DMC until the manifest is received, so ask for a price list of all
charges that will be accounted for. These include prices for
vehicles, staff, signage, airport entry fees, driver and luggage
handler gratuities, baggage handling, taxes, parking, radio fees
and so on.
Will you provide luggage handlers to
assist your guests at baggage claim and escort them to their ground
transportation? If so, will you cover their gratuities? If that’s
the case, be sure guests are aware that the host organization will
provide this service.
To how many different hotels will
your guests need to be transferred?
Will each guest’s hotel be on the
manifest?
Do you want motor coaches, vans
and/or sedans?
Will VIPs have the same
transportation service as the rest of the attendees, or would town
cars or limos be preferred?
Would you like the DMC to create and
deliver departure notices? (A departure notice informs guests of
the time their vehicle will depart from the hotel for the
airport.)
Will the hotel be providing a bag
pull service, or will guests be expected to bring their luggage to
transportation?
ON THEIR OWN
Determine the transportation options
at the airport closest to the meeting location, and provide this
information to attendees.
What kind of airport shuttle service
is available, and what are the fees?
Are roundtrip shuttle tickets offered
at a savings over one-way fares?
What hotels are serviced by airport
shuttles?
Do any of the hotels offer free
airport shuttles?
Consider negotiating a group discount
with an airport shuttle provider or taxi service. Provide attendees
with information and coupons or vouchers.
Where are the taxi pickup locations
at the airport?
What is the average taxi fare to host
hotels?
Does your organization have a
corporate account with a rental car agency? If so, can this
discounted rate be offered to attendees?
Do you want to hire staff to be
available at the airport to assist your attendees upon
arrival?
Notes: