Executive assistants often collect transport information in fragments: a revised flight, a hotel confirmation, an invitation and a message about an extra colleague. A short master brief is more useful than forwarding all of those documents to the driver. It gives dispatch the facts needed to assess the journey while keeping unrelated business information out of circulation. The most effective brief also makes clear which details are final and which still need approval.
Begin with a journey register
Give every movement its own row or clearly labelled paragraph. Include the local date, pickup place, destination, passengers and the person responsible for that movement. Separate airport arrival, hotel transfers and airport departure rather than hiding them inside a general request for a chauffeur. If one movement is optional, mark it as a request. A shared conference itinerary does not itself establish vehicle availability for each leg.
Distinguish passenger and organiser
Provide the organiser’s email for quotations and the travelling contact for operational communication. If the guest prefers to communicate through an assistant, explain how that assistant remains reachable during the transfer. Do not assume a person working overseas will be awake for a late Zurich arrival. Nominate a backup who understands the plan and can relay a decision without exposing other delegates’ contact details in a group message.
Resolve the bag count early
Ask for the actual number of large cases, cabin cases and unusual items. Business travellers sometimes arrive with presentation equipment or leave with more luggage than they brought. Note anything that must remain with its owner, but do not include confidential documents in the transport brief. Passenger capacity and baggage capacity must both fit the selected vehicle; the Economy category accepts up to three passengers and two suitcases.
Create an access column
For each event destination, record the host’s entrance instructions and whether these have been confirmed. WEF-related transport is independent of accreditation. A badge or invitation may not authorise the vehicle to use the same entrance as the passenger. Consult the relevant year’s official information and keep an alternative lawful handover point in the plan. Never label a restricted entrance as guaranteed simply because an earlier year’s itinerary used it.
Send a controlled revision
Put a revision date or simple version number at the top of the brief. When something changes, say precisely which movement and field changed. Ask for an updated confirmation of the affected leg and agreed price before treating the revision as accepted. Retain the latest booking reference for each journey. This makes it easier to reconcile the eventual invoice and avoids a delegate receiving an old pickup instruction from a different member of the organising team.
Questions about this journey
Must I send the complete conference agenda?
No. Send the transport-relevant addresses, times and access instructions; keep unrelated meeting details separate.
Can one assistant book for several delegates?
Yes. Identify each travelling group and its operational contact clearly.
What makes a revision effective?
Dispatch should acknowledge the change and confirm the updated arrangements; editing your own spreadsheet alone does not amend a booking.