Solution for automotive events

Ride and drive events, organized from invite to check-in

Ride and drive events put invited customers, dealers or journalists behind the wheel of your vehicles, with drive slots, travel and a hospitality program around them. Whether it is a dealer driving training, a customer incentive on the track or a press drive, AirLST manages guests, drive slots, travel details and check-in on one platform, TISAX-assessed (the information security assessment standard of the automotive industry) and GDPR-compliant.

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The challenge

A ride and drive runs on minute-by-minute logistics

At a ride and drive, guest lists, drive schedules, vehicle assignments, hotel room blocks and the side program all run at the same time. Spreadsheets and email threads break down as soon as slots shift or guests change their booking.

Drive slots with fixed capacity, so no time slot is overbooked
Waitlist for full sessions: guests on the waitlist fill open seats automatically
Travel details, shuttles and hotel room blocks collected at registration
Side programs such as a dinner or an excursion as bookable options
Live view of who is registered, checked in or a no-show

How it works

Your ride and drive in four steps

1. Invite your audience Customers, dealers or press receive personalized invitations in your brand design, as a closed event for invited guests only.

2. Book drive slots During registration, guests choose their drive session, side program and dietary needs, with a capacity per slot.

3. Coordinate travel Flight, train, car, shuttle and hotel room are recorded for each guest, including room types and room blocks.

4. Check in on site QR code scan with the check-in app, with name badges printed on arrival if you want them.

Use cases

Typical ride and drive formats

The slot and attendee logic in AirLST supports the common B2B driving event formats:

Press drives: international journalists with travel details and accreditation, see automotive events
Dealer trainings: driving sessions per dealer group with their own capacity
Customer incentives: exclusive drives for existing customers with plus-ones and an evening program
Product previews: guests experience new models in a closed setting

To dispatch the vehicle fleet during the event, the Vehicle Management special configuration supports your team; at the entrance, our on-site admission team adds staff and hardware.

Matching features

The modules behind your ride and drive

Invitation emailsPersonalized invitations in your brand design for closed guest lists.More about invitation emails Event registrationForms with drive slots, side program, travel details and custom fields.More about event registration Event check-inQR code scanning at reception and at the track, on as many devices as you need.More about event check-in Event reportingSlot utilization, attendance and no-show rates in real time.More about event reporting

Customers

Driving events at automaker standard

Automotive brands such as Audi, Bentley, BMW, Daimler Truck and Mercedes-Benz are AirLST customers. See how demanding organizers run their events in our customer stories and case studies.

FAQ

Questions about ride and drive events

What is a ride and drive event?

A ride and drive event is a hosted event where invited guests drive a brand's vehicles, often on a closed course or a planned road route, usually with a briefing, product presentations and a hospitality program. Automakers run them for customers, dealer staff and journalists. The organizing work is in the guest management: invitations, drive slots, travel, hotel rooms and check-in on the day.

How do you plan a ride and drive event?

In four steps: invite the audience (customers, dealers or press), set up registration with drive slots and the side program, coordinate travel and hotels, and check guests in on site with a QR code. AirLST covers all four steps on one platform, from the invitation emails to the reporting afterwards.

How do guests book their drive slots?

In the registration form. Drive sessions are set up like program sessions with their own capacity, and guests pick their time slot during event registration. When a slot is full, the waitlist takes over and fills seats that open up.

What is the difference between a ride and drive event and a test drive event?

A ride and drive is a brand experience for invited guests, such as a customer incentive, a dealer training or a press drive with a side program. A test drive event is aimed at prospective buyers who want to try a model. Both use the same slot logic but differ in invitation, the data you collect and the program.

Can you collect travel details and book hotel rooms for guests?

Yes. The registration form collects arrival and departure by plane, train or car, flight and train numbers and shuttle needs. For overnight stays, AirLST manages hotels with room types, room blocks and check-in and check-out dates, which matters for multi-day drives at remote locations.

Is AirLST suitable for automakers?

Yes. AirLST is TISAX-assessed (TISAX is the information security assessment standard of the automotive industry), processes attendee data in line with the GDPR and is hosted in Germany. Automotive brands such as Audi, Bentley, BMW, Daimler Truck and Mercedes-Benz are AirLST customers.