BRIEFING EVENT CONNECT – PART OF THE ABELLIO GROUP


A bespoke service to enhance experiences


Known for running UK rail and bus franchises, Glasgow headquartered Abellio UK has developed a new transport service for events


BY WILLIAM PEAKIN B


ehind the sandstone exterior of the Culzean Building on Glasgow’s Renfield Street, in a bright modern fifth floor


office, Abellio’s Nadia Hutcheson invites me to learn more about a new service that’s plugging a gap across the UK for event transport. She is clearly excited as she outlines the vision: “It’s very exciting. It’s more than just transport; it’s an end to end solution,” she said. When I go to visit her I’m


impressed by the modern guest sign-in system; a few taps on an iPad and your host knows you’ve arrived and what you look like. Event Con- nect feels like a start-up, but with the backing of a big company. Parent group Abellio has trans-


port experience, expertise and capacity, and prides itself on taking travellers ‘beyond a –to-b’. It also has a UK network of road transport partners, with vehicles ranging from coaches to luxury minibuses and executive cars. Tis in turn is supported by Abellio’s 24-hour regional control rooms where staff have in-depth knowledge of suppli- ers and local geography. “Te company offers transport


solutions throughout the UK and Europe, operating a num- ber of both bus and rail services for passengers,” said Hutcheson. “Various members of the UK team have worked in the events sector. Trough discussion and research, they saw a gap in the UK market for a full-service approach to event transport.” Teir new offer, ‘Event Connect –


Adding value to an event organiser’s daily work and overall objectives


Part of the Abellio Group’, seems like a natural extension of the group’s philosophy of considering the pas- senger journey beyond a-to-b. “When you choose Event Connect


as your transport partner, you get a UK-based team that works as an extension of your own. We get to know all your transportation needs, and then we design a tailored ser- vice around them,” she said.


WE’RE PART OF the Abellio Group; a multi-million-pound, multina- tional company, responsible for moving more than a million people every single day. So our transport credentials are hard to beat.” Under Hutcheson’s stewardship,


Event Connect has put together a team of events specialists – from within Abellio as well as new hires – to develop a product that brings something new to the events and festivals industry. “We want to be a valued and trusted transport partner for our


8 | EVENTSBASE | AUTUMN 2016


clients, so that they can focus on all the other aspects of planning their event,” said Hutcheson, who joined the group in November last year and is now UK Manager of Event Connect. “We provide a complete ser-


vice, from an initial meeting to determine a client’s needs, taking


WE WANT TO BE A VALUED AND TRUSTED TRANSPORT PARTNER FOR OUR CLIENTS, SO THAT THEY CAN FOCUS ON ALL THE OTHER ASPECTS OF PLANNING THEIR EVENT


charge of all the scheduling to ensure everything runs smoothly, providing the right transport and ensuring that everything runs to plan through our on the day, on the ground coordination service.” “As someone who’s been working


in events for a long time, I know how important it is to have trusted partners you can rely on and who will take care of every little detail so that there’s one less thing to worry about”. Hutcheson draws on a wealth of


experience in the events industry, including time at the Royal Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, Glasgow Life, CSM Sport & Entertainment, where she worked on the Invictus games, Glasgow 2014 Ltd., the SSE Hydro, SECC and Clyde Auditorium. Among her team there is experience gleaned from the 2012 London Olympics, the 2014 Rugby World Cup and Common- wealth Games, major conferences, festivals and the Ryder Cup.


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