A roadshow compresses a week of meetings into a day or two. Bankers, investors, executives and their teams move from one office to the next, often with only a short gap between appointments, and the transport has to work perfectly or the whole schedule slips. Milan is Italy's financial and business capital, home to the stock exchange and the headquarters of many of the country's largest companies, and it is a common stop on European roadshows. Here is how we plan them.
Where the meetings are
Business in Milan is concentrated in a few areas. Porta Nuova, with its towers around Piazza Gae Aulenti, hosts many international firms and banks. CityLife, to the west, is home to several corporate headquarters. The historic centre around Piazza Affari, Via Manzoni and Corso Venezia remains the address of many law firms, advisers and family offices. Moving between these districts is usually a matter of minutes on a map, but traffic in the centre, limited stopping places and one-way streets can turn a short distance into a long ride at the wrong time.
One car, all day
For a roadshow, an hourly booking is almost always the right choice. The car and driver stay with you from the first meeting to the last, wait outside each building and are ready the moment you come out. There is no time lost calling a new car, and documents, laptops and bags stay safely in the vehicle. The minimum booking is four hours, and full days are common.
Routing the day
Send us the list of meetings with addresses and times as early as possible. We look at the sequence, check the distances and point out any transitions that look too tight for the time of day. Sometimes a small change in order saves a lot of time. On the day, the driver follows the plan and adapts if a meeting runs late or a new one is added.
Choosing the vehicle
For one or two executives, the Mercedes S-Class gives a quiet rear cabin where calls and preparation are easy, and the E-Class is a discreet alternative. For a team of three to seven, the Mercedes V-Class lets everyone travel together and debrief between meetings, with facing rear seats. For a larger delegation, the Sprinter Luxury VIP carries up to eight passengers with luggage. When a team needs to split between parallel meetings, two cars on the same booking keep everyone on schedule.
Beyond the city
Milan roadshows often include a visit outside the city: a factory in Brianza, a company in Bergamo, Turin or Lugano, or a meeting near Malpensa. From central Milan, Bergamo's upper town is roughly an hour and a quarter by car in normal traffic, Turin about two hours and Lugano around an hour and a half. With a chauffeur, the travel time becomes working time, and the same car brings you back for an evening meeting or to the airport.
Airports at both ends
Roadshows usually start and end at an airport. From Linate, central Milan is about 20 minutes in normal traffic; from Malpensa, about 50 minutes. Your driver tracks the flight, and the car can go straight from the arrivals hall to the first meeting. On the last day, we plan the final meeting and the drive to the airport together, with a margin for traffic.
Confidentiality and invoicing
Our drivers are discreet: conversations in the car stay in the car, and we do not share client names or schedules. For companies and banks, every booking comes with a proper invoice, and we can quote a whole programme, including several days and several cars, in one document.
Practical checklist
Share the passenger names and mobile numbers of the people travelling, the meeting addresses and times, any security or access requirements at the buildings, and the flight details at each end. The more we know in advance, the less you need to think about on the day.