Careful handling — that's the kind of treatment physician attendees demand, says Jack Carlson, CEO of Carlson Transportation Connection in Princeton, N.J. Doctors look for their driver the instant they get off the plane — in some instances, he says, they even phone from the plane as it is taxiing to the gate to make sure their transportation is there. To make matters more complicated, doctors frequently change their flight plans without notifying the meeting planner.

Carlson founded his unusual company four years ago to provide planners with the reliable, top-flight transportation services physicians demand. CTC becomes, in effect, your portable transportation department.

“We use [CTC] for meetings in California and Florida and everywhere in-between, for everything ranging from smaller symposia just for our faculty to [meetings] of 200 physicians,” says Tom Gregory, meeting manager, ProCom International, a medical education company in Parsippany, N.J. “At the airport [Carlson staff] always make sure the signs say Dr. So-and-so, rather than just the last name. They use a computer-generated sign when possible, rather than a hand-printed one. Those little touches make a big difference.One of their biggest assets,” Gregory adds,” is they provide a dedicated transportation manager [on-site] who is an extension of our staff. That's great; it allows me to concentrate on the things I need to do.” For more information, visit www.carlsontransportation.com.