It’s long been a major complaint of trade show and convention attendees: getting around the city is a pain! Whether due to traffic, costs or both, those complaints present a challenge for planners to overcome in most any major city. But now several cities are stepping up to overcome that in one way or another. Portland, Oregon has offered free transit passes for convention attendees to use on the city’s busses or streetcars. Dallas offers a two-hour pass on the DART transit system for $2.50 so attendees can easily get back and forth to DFW Airport. And several other cities have plans in the works:
- Denver will introduce a commuter rail line from the airport to downtown in 2016.
- Orlando has plans for a minibus system to transport attendees between the various Orange County Convention Center concourses and nearby shopping and entertainment areas.
- Earlier this month the KC Streetcar began making test runs here in Kansas City and will officially debut in 2016, providing stops around downtown and the convention center (additional routes to be added later).
- Update 11-24-15: Ride-sharing service Lyft has been given permission to provide transportation at both Chicago airports and McCormick Place. (Uber likely won’t be far behind.)
