When you’re planning a conference, you’ve got a lot on your plate. Tight budgets, conflicting schedules, and unforeseeable difficulties all come with the territory. When it comes to transportation though, Bus.com is in your corner, and we’ve compiled a quick primer on shuttle buses for the harried conference organizer. Whether you’re planning a student conference in Miami or a business conference in LA, we’re here to help you streamline your transportation needs with our shuttle buses, and ensure your attendees will arrive safe, on time, time, and with smiles on their faces.
What are shuttle buses, exactly?
Right down to brass tacks – a shuttle bus system is simply a fleet of buses that can bring your guests back and forth between venues. These buses typically follow a predetermined route between venue sites in a loop, steadily ferrying people between point A and point B. Shuttle bus services are particularly useful for event planners who need a reliable mode of transportation for a large number of people.
Getting your bus shuttle service up and running starts with choosing the right bus. If you’re a student conference organizer who needs to move small classes across town in a timely fashion, our mini-coach buses might be for you. If you’re planning a business conference you might be better suited to our coach buses or minicoach buses (which can come equipped with Wi-Fi, Aux inputs, TV/DVD infrastructure, and power outlets to keep everyone connected and plugged-in between venues).
Don’t need a whole fleet of shuttle buses?
For smaller conferences, the rental of one or more coach buses might be your best fit. Coach buses are an efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective way to get your attendees around and come fully loaded with WiFi, leather seats, and air conditioning to keep your team comfortable on the road. For more information, be sure to check out our guide on choosing the right bus for you.
How can shuttle buses improve your attendees’ conference experience?
The experience of your attendees is paramount to the success of your conference and an efficient shuttle bus service sees to it that attendees don’t need to plan their own routes or secure their own transportation. This means that not only will attendees arrive together and on time but that that they will arrive with plenty of time and focus to devote to the conference you’ve worked so hard to organize.
Shuttle buses for student conferences
When planning a student conference, there are a lot of moving parts at play and everything grinds to a halt if students and teachers are unable to get to where they need to be. Regardless of whether you’re planning a niche case competition or a nation-wide student summit for the future leaders of tomorrow, an efficient shuttle bus system can ensure that your student attendees can fully focus on the content of your conference. Our goal is to get your students where they need to be, when they need to be there, in safety and comfort.
Shuttle buses for corporate conferences
Shuttle buses are the ideal way for you to get your corporate attendees from the airport to the conference center, but they also provide unique team-building opportunities while in transit and valuable downtime your team can use to stay productive while on the move. Below we’ve detailed a few of the best corporate venues to be found in several major cities along with helpful tips on how to make sure your attendees get from the airport to the conference with as little friction as possible.
New York City
New York City is the archetypal “big city” and is a meeting ground for people all over the world. It’s no small wonder that it’s a popular destination for corporate conferences. Some of NYC’s best conference venues include the awe-inspiring One World Observatory offering 360° views of the city or the Tavern on the Green restaurant, perfect for wowing groups with sophisticated fine dining.
NYC traffic, however, is notorious for throwing a wrench in even the most carefully laid plans but our helpful guide to NYC airport bus rentals will ensure your guests all make it from the airport to the conference in a timely fashion.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles has sandy beaches, postcard-perfect sunsets, and is the undisputed entertainment capital of the country. All that to say Los Angeles knows how to welcome the business community and might be the perfect place for your upcoming corporate conference. The Loews Hollywood Hotel (famed venue of the annual Academy Awards Dinners) and the Novo, a music and performance hall, perfectly suited for banquets and receptions are just a pair of LA’s best corporate conference venues.
LA residents spend a lot of their time behind the wheel but your out of town attendees fresh from the airport might not be so keen on the idea. Check out our quick writeup on LA airport bus rentals to make things a little easier.
San Francisco
Home of stately Victorian houses, rolling hills, and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco is also home to a robust entrepreneurial spirit and is the cradle of the ongoing digital revolution. San Francisco’s best conference venues include everything from more intimate Breather spaces (perfect for teams of up to 50 people operating on a budget) to the inspiring Exploratorium at Pier 15 (which offers breathtaking views onto the bay, and is only 30 minutes from SFO airport using a dedicated shuttle system.
Miami
Known for its tropical weather, iconic art deco beachfront properties, and Latin roots, Miami is also a centre of international banking, biotechnology, medical research, and tourism, making it the perfect location for your next corporate conference. For small teams that are new to the city, Island Queen Cruises proposes the perfect stylish introduction with open water tours of Biscayne bay. For larger companies looking to make a splash, The Clevelander in South Beach offers the full Ocean Drive experience and would make the perfect home-base for groups as large as 1000.
Miami can be a lot to take in all at once but luckily, most of Miami’s best corporate venues are 30 minutes or less from the airport. To make sure your attendees arrive together, without the hassle, be sure to read our guide on bus rentals from Miami International Airport.
Why trust Bus.com with your conference transportation
Bus.com operates a network of 2,300 carefully vetted bus operators and has customer support agents on call 24/7 to help keep you and your conference on track.
To give you a good idea of what to expect when you book a shuttle bus service with Bus.com, we’d like to have some of our past successes speak for us.Take a quick look at the story of Beau’s Oktoberfest,or our successful journey with Rugby Canada.
Need to organize corporate accommodation?
If you are looking to help your conference goers organize accommodation, then you may want to consider using an online tool designed for group booking. Such a tool is HotelPlanner.com, a partner of Bus.com, that allows you to find easy quotes for group hotel stays. For a full breakdown on the ins and outs of accommodating your attendees, check out our comprehensive guide on the best hotels for corporate, sports, and student groups.
