Storm Ali – Bringing out the big guns

11/10/2018 | Travel Connect

Two weeks ago today, we were battening down the hatches and making a quick getaway to get home early as Storm Ali hit the shores of Scotland. Well, most of us were, but not the team here at Event Connect.

In the events industry we are all used to last minute changes of plans, curve balls from left field, being agile enough to develop on the spot contingency plans and responding to situations in real time. However, when it comes to an “Act of God” it strikes fear in even the most experienced of us in the Events industry.

The weather is often cited as one of the biggest bug bears of Event Management, so last week when Storm Ali caused one of our clients Cruise Ships to detach from its moorings changing the transport plans for a 400 plus tour group, it was no surprise when they turned to us for help. Dusting off our secondary and tertiary contingency plans we swung into full crisis management mode to help minimise disruption for the effected tour groups. Faced with now having hundreds of people to transport, we had to act fast. To say it was a challenge was an understatement. With the rail network across Scotland significantly impacted due to the severe weather, there was huge demand for Rail Replacement transport, meaning available resources were limited and costs were high!

Fortunately, as one of the UK’s leading transport providers we were able to secure access to vehicles, suppliers and network information quickly, cost effectively and efficiently. What’s more with our regional control rooms we were able to be responsive and reactive throughout the day, changing plans on several occasions to accommodate the circumstances as they arose.

Hours of hard work and dedication from our highly experienced planning team allowed us to provide our client with an alternative transport solution which minimised disruption for their tour groups. Working with Event Connect has lots of advantages and having access to our transport management team and 24-hour control room is only one them. So, although most were left slightly broken and battered by Storm Ali – it was all in a day’s work for the Event Connect team!

If you’re looking for a supplier or management group to help with your transport, get in touch with our team today to see how we can help you.

Tags: Transport Supplier , Cruise travel, Tourism Transport Supplier, Crisis Management

Recent blogs

08/10/2020 | Travel Connect

Adapt, learn and optimise: Get the most out of your 2021 Tour Season

Group Tour Transport 2021 – Make the most out of your season. What does your seasonal planning for 2021 look like?

27/02/2020 | Travel Connect

Vehicle selection: the importance of getting it right

First off, can you tell the difference between a MPV, a midi or a mini? What about an executive coach vs a standard coach? More to the point, why does it matter?

23/01/2020 | Travel Connect

Top tips for planning a busy tour season

You’re a busy Tour Operator planning for the season ahead. You’re already booked to attend a number of key industry events and exhibitions, most of which are at the start of the year and your diary is crammed with appointments.

22/08/2019 | Travel Connect

Knowing your passenger - How important is it?

Whether it’s an international tour group VIPs for a sporting event, a film crew on their way to a new set or delegates on the way to a convention- all passengers are the same, right? Wrong.

27/06/2019 | Travel Connect

Global event transport planning and how it can help you

It’s usually the last piece of the jigsaw in event management and the least attractive part of event planning. By the time you’ve developed your “big idea”, secured your venue, speakers/performers,

25/06/2019 | Travel Connect

Event Connect becomes official supplier to 2019 Solheim Cup

Transport service provider Event Connect has been announced as the Official Coach Supplier to The 2019 Solheim Cup, taking place at Gleneagles, Scotland from 9-15 September.

17/04/2019 | Travel Connect

How we use data and technology to keep you moving

Big Data has a huge impact on transport arrangements; GPS tracking, customer signage, transport updates and access to information, find out more about how we use Big Data to enhance our customer experience in our latest blog.

14/02/2019 | Travel Connect

When the member becomes the service provider - our experience with UKinbound

Last week we became the supplier for UKinbound's Convention in Glasgow. As a new member of the trade association for inbound tourism, we jumped at the chance to showcase our services to fellow members.

17/01/2019 | Travel Connect

Get on-board with the Transport provider for UK Inbound Convention

As a new member of UK Inbound, we are delighted to announce that we will be this year’s transport provider for the upcoming UK Inbound Convention in Glasgow. And we’re providing all attendees a special offer on your first booking*.

26/11/2018 | Travel Connect

Switching Transport Supplier - top tips to avoid the bad & the ugly

Thinking about changing the transport supplier for your conference or event? We know it can be daunting but there can also be some huge benefits. Here are our top tips for changing your transport supplier.