Plan your guests transportation needs from the moment they arrive to the moment they depart Louisville. The Bureau is your complete source for transportation information and help with booking air fare, hiring drivers, renting cars, and reserving motorcoaches.

Find the transportation options that are right for you in our Transportation section.

   
Air Travel

1. Frequency of flights in and out of the major airport
2. Carriers and cities they service
3. Equipment types
4. Number of seats
5. Non-Stops vs. Direct Flights

For a smaller meeting these factors may not be critical, however for a larger program where your attendees are coming from all over the world, accessibility can make or break a meeting. If your attendees are coming from across the state, not only should you look at in-state flight schedules, but also consider if they are going to drive in, where will they park and how much it will cost per day.
 

  
Ground Transportation
  

Once your attendees arrive to a city they will need to move around the area. Walk through their needs from beginning to end. Consider:

1. Taxis and Hotel Airport Shuttles
2. Bus Service/Metro Systems
3. Limousines

Lists are available with phone numbers of local companies. Please refer to our Meeting Planner Guide.
 

  
Bus Shuttle
   

When you have to move a lot of people to various locations for a meeting or an off-site function, motorcoach transportation is the best option. For example, let's consider that your meeting is to be held at the Kentucky International Convention Center; the following is what you should keep in mind for delegate transportation:

1. Where and when do you need transportation?
2. How many people are you going to have to move over what period of time?
3. Are you going to provide daily shuttle service to and from your selected hotels? Will that service be intermittent or continuous?
     
4. Who can assist with a shuttle program and how do you find them?
    
   A transportation company or destination management company can make the difference of a successful meeting or convention. To select the right one for your group you may want to first request (in writing from the companies you are working with) previous experience plus letters of recommendations.
    
5. Keeping your delegates happy and with a minimal amount of inconvenience makes a successful shuttle program. The pickup and delivery of delegates each day will weigh heavily in the overall satisfaction of the delegates toward the meeting. The key will be routing, it is extremely critical and a local provider will know the best routes to make sure the shuttle runs smooth and on time.
    
6. How long your attendees wait for a bus and the length of their shuttle trip should be considered when planning shuttle intervals. Looking at intervals. . . how many minutes between pickup and delivery, what amount of time would you be satisfied with. Most meeting planners recommend between 15 and 30 minutes during your peak periods, such as early morning arrivals to the meetings or late afternoon pickups. On-off peak periods, we suggest a one hour time period which is usually acceptable. In order to manage cost you may elect not to run shuttles during the day while your meeting is in session. For those delegates needing to get back to their hotels, cab service is available and this information should be relayed to the delegates utilizing your transportation program.
    
7. To begin the selection process for a transportation program you will need to send bid, gather proposals. Make sure that your bid is sent out to at least three vendors in order for you to receive the most favorable rates from the transportation companies. Bids may vary greatly. Keep in mind the following: What are you getting for the total price? How many coaches, how old are they and in what condition?
    
   Are you getting a dispatcher, a person at the site of debarkation to ensure the transportation is running smoothly? Are they on radios? Is there back-up equipment available? Signage?
    
   We suggest that you contact your transportation companies one year prior to your convention and lock in, through contract, all of your costs associated with transportation. The GLCVB Services department can assist you.
    
8. We recommend that the bus company representative be present during your pre-convention meeting with the Kentucky International Convention Center and the area hotels selected for your convention. This way they can communicate with all parties directly in contact with your convention. Additionally, we recommend that you have a meeting with either the transportation manager or the bell captain of each hotel to verify the correct locations for the buses to pick up the delegates.
     
9. Daily management. . . it is important to monitor your transportation on a daily basis. Some hotels that have fewer delegates than expected may require less transportation than previously expected. You should meet with your transportation company at the conclusion of each day, review the usage of the buses during that time period and make any adjustments necessary. Management of your buses will help save your meeting money and will also help insure the overall success of the transportation component of your meeting.
     
10. Communication of the bus pick up and delivery is essential. We recommend that the selected company provide signage in the lobby of each hotel, as well as the Convention Center; outlining the bus shuttle transportation program each day. Additionally, this information should be in the program packets that the delegates receive upon registration. Typically, most bus companies will supply this information, as well as routing numbers displayed on the windshields of each bus, so that your delegates will easily identify their bus each day.
       
11. Be sure that your bus companies provide adequate insurance and request this information in your contract with them.