Quick answer
Reviewed · 4 min read
Investor roadshow travel is the logistics behind a management team meeting investors in several cities over a few days, whether for a fundraise, an IPO or a non-deal roadshow. It means tight flight timing, a backup routing for every leg, car service between back-to-back meetings, and hotels that make early starts easy. Empyrean plans the travel so the team can focus on the pitch.
Researched and maintained by Empyrean Travel · How we research
- Best for
- CEOs, CFOs, founders and investor relations teams
- Typical shape
- Several cities in a few days to two weeks
- What you get
- Flights, backups, ground transport and hotels in one schedule
- Support
- Help while traveling via the Virtuoso/Andavo support network
What is an investor roadshow, from a travel perspective?
A roadshow packs meetings with investors in multiple cities into as few days as possible, often some combination of New York, Boston, San Francisco, Chicago and London. For travel purposes, it’s a chain of fixed appointments joined by flights and car rides, with very little slack between them.
The bankers, broker or investor relations team set the meeting schedule. Travel’s job is to make that schedule physically achievable and to have a plan B for every leg.
Who needs roadshow travel support?
The CEO, CFO and investor relations lead of a company raising capital or meeting shareholders; founders on a fundraising tour; fund managers meeting limited partners in several cities; and the executive assistants coordinating all of them.
How does Empyrean plan roadshow travel?
We plan from the meetings outward, never from the flights inward.
- Start from the meeting grid. Map every meeting’s time and address, then work out realistic travel time between them, including traffic.
- Choose flights with margin. Prefer nonstops and earlier departures, respect minimum connection times, and leave a buffer before the first meeting in each city.
- Line up backups. Identify the next flight, alternate airports and, where they exist, rail options for every leg before the trip starts.
- Arrange ground transport. Car service matched to the meeting grid, booked to wait between back-to-back meetings where that saves time.
- Pick hotels for logistics. Close to the next morning’s first meeting or the departure airport, with late check-out when available.
- Keep one master schedule. Flights, cars, hotels and meetings in a single itinerary, updated as the grid changes.
How do you build backup plans for a roadshow?
Every leg gets a plan B before departure. In the Northeast, Amtrak’s Acela between Boston, New York and Washington can be a dependable alternative to short flights, and New York’s three major airports, JFK, LaGuardia and Newark, give options when one is struggling.
On the West Coast, the Los Angeles area’s multiple airports, including LAX, Burbank, Long Beach and Orange County’s John Wayne, do the same job. One-way and open-jaw tickets keep routings flexible. If commercial schedules simply can’t make a day work, we’ll tell you early so you can decide whether a private charter is worth considering.
What should the deal team send before booking?
A draft is enough to start. Roadshow schedules change constantly, and early bookings with flexible terms protect your options.
- The draft meeting schedule with addresses, even if it will change
- Traveler names, profiles and loyalty numbers for every participant
- Known Traveler Numbers, since security lines are an easy place to lose half an hour
- Who can approve changes on the road
- Preferences on car service, hotels and cabin class, plus any confidentiality requirements
Which roadshow travel mistakes cost meetings?
The most common failures are timing failures, and nearly all of them are visible in advance.
- Booking the last flight of the day with no backup if it cancels
- Underestimating ground time, such as Midtown Manhattan to JFK at rush hour
- Changing the meeting grid without updating cars and hotels
- Sharing itineraries widely during a confidential process
- Flying a red-eye into a full day of pitches with no recovery time
Roadshow travel components
Meeting-first schedule
Flights and cars planned around the meeting grid, not the other way around.
Backup routings
Alternate flights, airports and rail options identified for every leg.
Ground transport
Car service timed to back-to-back meetings and realistic traffic.
Hotel logistics
Locations chosen for the next morning’s first meeting, not the view.
Flight tracking
Keep an eye on inbound aircraft and delays with our flight tracker.
Explore
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should we book roadshow travel?
Should a roadshow use commercial flights or a private charter?
What happens if a flight is cancelled mid-roadshow?
How do you keep roadshow travel confidential?
Can you coordinate travel for the whole deal team?
Official sources
Rules, fees and schedules change — confirm the latest details at the source before you travel.