Uber Events – A Step Forward to Environmentally-Friendly Events?

As event planning services become more global each year, the concerns for the impact that events have on the environment continue to grow as well.

Amassing a large group of people in a single location offers numerous opportunities for businesses, but at the same time, corporate event management companies need to be aware of the potential damage that such events have for the world and take steps into reducing their carbon footprint by as much as possible.

Some event planners try to encourage ride-sharing, but that can only go so far, and in most instances, people end up using their own means of transportation, which can quickly inflate the carbon emissions that the event causes.

But luckily, there may be a pain-free way for event planners to reduce their carbon footprint while simultaneously scoring points with their guests and making their journey more convenient.

Recently, Uber has introduced a new feature called Uber Events, which is designed to make the journey to and from events seamless and fast, no matter where your guest might be coming from.

But how does Uber Events work? And can it really have a positive impact on the environment?

Let’s find out the answers to these questions below.

What is Uber Events?

Uber Events is a service that was recently unveiled by Uber, which promises to completely revolutionize how guests travel from their location to the venue of the event.

Basically, as a venue planner, you would choose an Uber Events plan that you want to use, and provide Uber door-to-door transportation for your guests using a convenient and straightforward to use ride pass system.

Since almost everyone knows Uber, using it as a platform for transportation in your event is probably the simplest approach you could choose, which also provides additional comfort for your guests and saves you the trouble of organizing the logistics of getting everyone there.

As you can imagine, hiring a fleet of drivers to chauffeur your guest to and from your event would be incredibly costly, not to mention the complicated process of arranging that everyone would be picked up and dropped off when they want.

With Uber Events, on the other hand, you can customize your order in minutes, and create custom invites and ride passes that can be used by your guests to get them from wherever they might be to your location.
Since there are hundreds, if not thousands of Uber drivers in most cities, you can be sure that your guests will be able to promptly find a car, no matter how late your event might run.

And the best news is, you don’t have to worry about estimating how many rides you’ll need, as you will only be charged for the ones that your guests end up actually using.

Is Uber Events a Step in the Right Direction?

Now that you know what Uber Events is, you’re probably quite excited about the prospect of using it during your next event.

However, while it may be a convenient option, is it also good for the environment?

Well, the truth is that ride-sharing has already established itself as an incredibly beneficial way to reduce the carbon footprint that is left by the transportation industry.

Since it’s understandable that humanity cannot abandon cars altogether, ride-sharing transportation apps such as Uber are the next best thing.

They allow to transport more people with fewer cars and clear up traffic congestion, which is one of the main reasons for car pollution in the first place – since people use car-sharing apps for transportation, they can leave their own car at home, freeing up parking spots, intersections, and busy roads for public transport and drivers from companies like Uber.

What’s more, this also results in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as fewer cars on the road means that there’s less overall pollution, which is a huge plus in densely populated areas that often suffer from year-round smog from car emissions.

Finally, when using ridesharing apps such as Lyft or Uber, you’re also contributing to the reduced use of non-renewable energy sources. Fewer cars means less mileage, which means less fuel that is used for transportation, which can accumulate into a significant amount of reduced use over time.

But how does this translate to your events?

Well, the truth is, most of the points that we just discussed apply just as much, if not more, when organizing events of all sizes.

For one thing, events usually attract large crowds to a single location, which can cause a traffic jam in of itself, especially when you consider how difficult finding a parking space can sometimes be.

All those cars pulling into a single parking lot and spending dozens of minutes trying to find their way is not only bad for the environment; it’s a bad experience for your guests as well.

Meanwhile, when using Uber Events, you don’t have to worry about parking – guests are comfortably dropped off at the door and can immediately enter the event, and the driver can either pick someone else up right there and then, or leave to his next destination.

The Uber Events function may even be used to car share between different event guests, further reducing the greenhouse gas effect and even helping people form new connections from your event.

Final Verdict

At this point, it’s probably quite clear that event planning services today can be greatly enhanced by environmentally-conscious services such as Uber Events, which is why it’s not surprising that many corporate event management companies are already using it.

But even if you look past the benefits for the environment, it’s a smart decision for the sake of your guests as well – if you offer them a convenient way to get to your event, they won’t have to worry about transportation and can focus their attention on everything that your event has to offer, which should be your primary goal in the first place.