Mobilizing Mega Moments: How Transit Agencies Prepare, Perform, and Prevail (Leadership APTA)

Mega-events—whether global sporting spectacles, major cultural festivals, or high-profile civic celebrations—place extraordinary demands on transit systems. They also present rare opportunities to accelerate infrastructure upgrades, strengthen regional partnerships, and elevate the customer experience in ways that endure long after the crowds go home.

Drawing on a series of in-depth interviews with executives, operations leaders, customer experience specialists, and public–private partners—as well as real-world case studies from agencies including Transport for London, NJ Transit, CapMetro, COTA, and MARTA—this session presents a proven framework for planning, delivering, and sustaining transit excellence across the three critical phases of a mega-event: Pre-Event, During Event, and Post-Event.

Four strategic pillars underpin the framework:

• Partnerships: Building purposeful, high-value alliances early, from event organizers to tech providers, with clear roles, shared goals, and legacy-focused agreements.
• Customer Information: Delivering real-time, intuitive, and unified “wayfeeling” through consistent visual language, integrated mobile tools, and event-specific wayfinding.
• Service & Operations: Prioritizing reliability and flexibility, deploying ambassador programs, and using “gateway” events to pilot innovative technology and staffing models.
• Safety & Security: Combining visible human presence, CPTED-informed design, and targeted tech pilots to enhance both actual and perceived safety. Participants will gain insight into how agencies can turn high-profile moments into long-term strategic wins—turning smooth game-day performance into sustained ridership, improved public perception, and embedded operational improvements. The session will share our golden timeline—a practical planning roadmap showing when and how to align investments with each stage of the event lifecycle—and a toolbox of replicable tactics ready for adaptation across agency sizes and contexts.

Key takeaways:

• Proven tactics for forging enduring partnerships and unlocking funding through mega-events.
• Methods for delivering seamless, stress-free journeys under peak demand.
• Strategies to embed temporary improvements—lanes, shelters, wayfinding—into the permanent network.
• Practical tools for post-event retention and building a positive ridership legacy.

Whether preparing for the next global spotlight or a regional showcase, attendees will leave with a clear, actionable blueprint to prepare, perform, and prevail—turning short-term challenges into lasting transit success.

Project Team:

• Justin Umagat, King County Metro, Co-Coordinator
• Sam Sargent, VTA, Co-Coordinator
• Howaida Kamel, MBTA
• Juan Carbonell, Masabi
• Paul DesRocher, Colorado DOT
• Jamie Adelman, DART