Chauffeur Planning for Executive Roadshows
A roadshow is a sequence of meetings whose timings will move. Planning it as a held vehicle rather than a series of bookings is what keeps the day intact.
By Drive to Arrive Pty Ltd · Published · Updated · 6 min read
Key facts
- Recommended structure
- One held vehicle and chauffeur for the day, not per-leg bookings
- Buffer guidance
- 15–20 minutes between CBD meetings; 30+ minutes across a city
- Duty of care
- Named chauffeur, vehicle class and registration recorded per movement
Hold the vehicle, do not book the legs
The instinct is to book each leg: 9:00 to the first meeting, 10:30 to the second. It is cheaper on paper and it fails the first time a meeting runs fifteen minutes over, because the 10:30 vehicle is now somewhere else.
A held vehicle with the same chauffeur for the day costs more per hour and less per day, because it absorbs overruns without a new booking. It also means bags, coats and materials stay in the car between meetings rather than being carried into every reception.
Buffer sizing
Buffers are the difference between a schedule and a wish. As planning guidance: allow fifteen to twenty minutes between meetings within a CBD, thirty or more when crossing a city, and considerably more where a river, a harbour or a single arterial road sits between two addresses.
Add a further ten minutes to any meeting scheduled immediately after lunch or at the end of the day, because those are the two that reliably overrun.
Multi-city roadshows
- Sequence cities so that the first meeting of a day is never the first flight of that day — one delay and the day is gone.
- Book the airport arrival as a flight-tracked transfer and the rest of the day as a held vehicle.
- Where the same executive is in three cities in three days, ask for the same vehicle class in each; small consistencies reduce friction.
- Keep one contact who holds the whole itinerary. Roadshows fail when each city is coordinated locally.
The chauffeur as part of the plan
On a roadshow the chauffeur is not just driving. They are holding the schedule, knowing which entrance to use at each building, and often being the only person who knows where the executive is at any moment.
Brief them properly: the itinerary, the priority meeting, who may change the plan, and whether the executive prefers to work or to talk in the car. A briefed chauffeur saves more time than a faster route.
Records and duty of care
For corporate accounts, each movement records the named accredited chauffeur, the vehicle class and its registration. Vehicles are registered commercial passenger vehicles carrying AUD $20,000,000 third party liability cover per vehicle. This is the evidence a risk or audit team asks for after the fact, and it cannot be reconstructed later if the movement was booked outside the account.
Questions, answered
Is a held vehicle more expensive than individual transfers?
Per hour, yes. Across a full roadshow day it is frequently cheaper once waiting time, repositioning and missed-connection costs on the per-leg alternative are counted.
Can the executive work confidentially in the vehicle?
Yes. Chauffeurs are accredited and briefed on discretion, and we will sign a client confidentiality agreement where one is required.
About this guide
Published by Drive to Arrive Pty Ltd (ABN 13 636 578 937), 83 Church Road, Doncaster VIC 3108. Operations desk +61 400 202 330, bookings@drivetoarrive.com.au. Journey times are planning ranges based on our own operating experience, not guarantees. You are welcome to quote or cite this guide with attribution and a link to the original page.