In your company, are you responsible for booking venues, facilities, restaurants and organizing transportation for meetings and events?
Accessing Houston
Because most people in Houston get around the city by personal or rental vehicle, depending on where you’re planning your event, you may need to take that into account. If your venue does not have parking readily available or conveniently nearby, consider hiring professional valet parking services that will raise your event to the next level. Also, take a look at some of the ways Houston transportation is blossoming with greener innovations setting root. Then read about the construction projects in progress and planned for the future that will make Houston a bastion for cleaner and more convenient public transportation and expand its reach as an international point of entry.

valet parking services
With its excellent transit system of highways, Houston is a city of drivers, and most likely people are going to drive themselves to your event. One way to accommodate this and enhance the experience of your event in both elegance and convenience is hiring a professional valet company. Having valet service available for your guests will save them time, money and worry about checking on a meter so they simply can focus on enjoying themselves.

Although the city does have many convenient parking garages and lots, not all of them are public and some can be very expensive. Therefore several Houston hotels and other businesses already offer valet services that can be included in your event booking. However, if you hold your event at a venue that is unusual or off the beaten path, valet services may not be provided.

Many Houston valet companies maintain long-term contracts at local establishments on a full- or part-time basis, but they also engage in contracts for special events, fundraisers, weddings, major conventions, grand openings and private parties. The established companies with a history of integrity can handle tremendous volumes and demands of large-scale events, often moving thousands of vehicles in a short period of time.

Following are a few companies that offer short-term valet service for special events in Houston:

Most of the companies ensure successful standard service by providing all necessary equipment and incidentals, including signage, communication infrastructure, uniforms, a podium and ticketing system, traffic devices and even umbrellas. Some companies also offer “Red Carpet” extras and other special touches sure to make your attendees feel like royalty.

Some, like Master Valet & Custom Transport, also offer alternative valet services, such as pedicab and golf-cart transports in addition to standard valet that can add a touch of fun as you arrange to shuttle guests between locations during your event or from parking that is a distance from the venue itself.

Another advantage of having valet service at your event is that this is the first welcoming point of contact for your guests. Professional and courteous valets can begin to create ambiance that elevates the function to another level of elegance and shows guests that Houstonians know hospitality.

In addition, professional valet-service companies ensure reliable and secure handling of all vehicles so your guests can have presence of mind that their cars will be safe as they enjoy all that your Houston event has to offer. To that end, the valet companies’ management teams work closely with you to plan and execute a personal and seamless valet-parking experience. Reputable companies also provide full liability-insurance coverage, which eliminates the need to worry about costs incurred from negligence on the part of the valets.

Not only will arranging valet services enhance and elevate the experience of your guests, it can prove cost-efficient for your event’s budget if you do your research and compare costs and incentives. Just remember to remind your guests that it is customary to tip the attendant a few dollars when picking up their car.

innovations in greener transportation
As the Energy Capital of the World, Houston strives to become an increasingly greener city with a more positive impact on its environment, and several initiatives are under way to propel the city into that greener future.

Greenlink
Introduced in June 2012, Greenlink is Downtown Houston’s free environmentally friendly bus service specifically geared toward convention goers and visitors navigating the downtown area. Established with the goal to ease the mobility of convention attendees by providing a quick and easy trip between their target locations, Greenlink is a combined effort by the Houston Downtown Management District, BG Group and Houston First Corporation. The 2.5-mile, 18-stop bus route connects major office buildings along Smith and Louisiana streets to METRO transit, the convention corridor, hotels, shopping, restaurants and the civic center. Greenlink buses run weekdays 6:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. approximately every 7–10 minutes.

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