The Milwaukee Bucks basketball team are experiencing great success with their Eastern Conference game finals hosted at the new Fiserv Forum located in downtown Milwaukee Wisconsin. With the team’s success comes challenges for the new venue, traffic! Directors of special events understand that the coordination at your site is something organizers have greater control of. Mobilizing patrons and an entire region requires strategic planning. You want patrons safe and returning to your festival, sporting event or other activity, so don’t let traffic congestion deter fan loyalty.
Lessons learned – Country USA Oshkosh WI – in our initial years we faced unplanned traffic challenges. One early Sunday evening we encountered huge congestion coming into the festival grounds one-hour prior to our main act Allan Jackson taking stage. Traffic was backed up on the freeway as well as county roads. When reaching local law enforcement, we soon learned that they had no authority when it came to the state roads, hence we needed to get the State Patrol involved. Mind you, it was raining, foggy and the inclement weather had held attendees back because they wanted to delay potentially standing in the rain at the outdoor music festival. CUSA runs June 27-29 this year at Ford Festival Park!
Event traffic tips!
1. Pre-plan with law enforcement engaging city, county and statewide officials on traffic patterns, alternative routes and obtain on-call patrol contacts for event day(s).
2. Collaborate with other venues holding events during the same time within your region.
3. Mobilize your patrons by providing coordinated transportation such as developing a partnership with the local schools or private charter companies. Create a “park n ride” feature where patrons can pay a nominal fee to get transported to and from the front gates/entrance areas.
4. Prepare for inclement weather and unplanned political visits. Nothing more stressful than a President suddenly arriving into your city and closing streets you had hoped to use! Obviously weather conditions could force you to delay a start time. Monitor radar.
5. Communicate Communicate! - before and the day of event. Work with local broadcast media to promote any traffic issues. Post on all social media platforms. Offer links to transit, Lyft, Uber or other transportation options patrons might choose over driving. Let commuters know best parking options.
Dr. Carla Rutley is a five-time entrepreneur whose co-founded festivals, economic and workforce development think-tanks, coordinated city-wide special events, and even has run a tanning salon consignment boutique. Carla now resides in Navarre Beach Florida, as a business marketing and operations consultant, career coach, and serves universities nationally teaching entrepreneurship and marketing. She enjoys growing businesses and developing professionals to enrich lives and create prosperous communities. www.professorrutley.com or crutleymarketing@gmai.com.
Comentarios