Uber is working its way deeper into the meetings and events industry.
Yesterday the ride-sharing company announced the beta program for UberEvents is moving nationwide—just in time for company holiday parties.
UberEvents allows hosts and planners to arrange guest passes that set up rides for attendees to and/or from events. The host sets the amount they will pay for each guest pass and creates a custom code that goes out to every attendee who has an Uber account.
There’s no limit on the number of guest passes per event, but if the total amount paid by the host will exceed $10,000, hosts must contact an Uber representative for assistance.
The new service is handy for planners of all types, whether you want to make it easy for attendees to get to a conference location or if you want to ensure all guests can get home safe after a holiday party or a networking event that involves drinks. The service is also available for personal parties and events.
“When planning a company happy hour, client appreciation dinner, or even upcoming nuptials, there is a lot that goes into ensuring that your event goes off without a hitch—including how your guests can safely get to and from without any fuss,” says Kimiko Ninomiya, Uber’s senior marketing manager, on the company’s blog. “We want to make the experience of planning transportation logistics as seamless as ordering a ride at the touch of button.”
Hosts are charged only for actual guest passes that are used, and only for actual fares if some go under the amount set to pay for each ride. To make sure attendees don’t take advantage of hosts’ generosity, guest passes for UberEvents are valid only in a specific time frame set by the host, and passengers must be picked up or dropped off within a quarter of a mile of the event location.
And if you’re worried that there won’t be enough Uber cars around or wait times might end up being excruciatingly long after a large event, don’t fret. Uber drivers in the region are alerted to large UberEvents coming up so they can be in the area when the event is wrapping up.
