Best Buddies is committed to a safe and seamless travel experience for all Best Buddies Leadership Conference (BBLC) attendees. Guidelines for attendee travel are provided in this section. See you in Indiana!
Once you have booked your travel, you must submit your itinerary to your Best Buddies staff contact. Itineraries should be submitted by June 15.
Travel Checklist
- Please notify your Best Buddies staff contact how you plan to travel to BBLC as soon as possible.
- If traveling by air, please e-mail your original flight itinerary to your Best Buddies staff contact.
- The deadline to book your travel is June 15.
Important note: all attendees are responsible for their own travel costs; conference registration fees do NOT include travel costs.
Traveling by Plane
The arrival airport for flights to Best Buddies Leadership Conference is Indianapolis International Airport (IND).
Dates and Times
Arrival Day – Arrive at the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) on Friday, July 18, before 5:00 pm ET.
Departure Day – Depart Indianapolis International Airport (IND) on Monday, July 21.
Airport Transportation
Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is approximately 50 miles from the Indiana University campus (about a one hour drive).
- Best Buddies will provide bus transportation between the airport and the university for conference attendees on arrival day (Friday, July 18) and departure day (Monday, July 21).
- For conference arrival (July 18), attendees are encouraged to book flights that land at IND before 5:00 pm ET to avoid missing conference kickoff events.
- For conference departure (July 21), attendees will receive airport bus assignments based on their flight departure time (we recommend leaving at least 3 hours before scheduled flight time).
- The first bus from IU campus to the airport leaves at 3:00 am. If you book a flight departing before 6 am, or if you want to arrive at the airport earlier, you may be responsible for arranging your own transportation to IND (e.g. Uber/Lyft/private car service).
- The last bus from IU campus to the airport typically leaves around 4:00 pm. Attendees are encouraged to fly out earlier in the day in case of flight delays and cancellations
- For airport transportation falling outside the established travel days noted above, attendees are responsible for making their own plans for transportation and communicating with their Best Buddies staff contact.
- GO Express Travel offers regular shuttle service from the university to the airport ($29 per passenger each way); GO Express Travel also provides private car service, if needed.
- Ride sharing services (e.g. Uber or Lyft) are also an option (typically ~$70 each way), though availability and pricing will vary depending on the time of day and driver availability.
Traveling by Car
If you will be arriving to Best Buddies Leadership Conference (BBLC) by your own car, or are being dropped off, please follow the guidelines below. Please be sure to notify your Best Buddies staff contact if you will be driving to conference.
Arrival Day – Arrive at Indiana University on Friday, July 18 by 6:00 pm ET.
Departure Day – Depart Indiana University on Monday, July 21.
Driving Policies
Once you have parked your car, you will not be able to drive off campus or around campus. Those with personal vehicles should also stay until the Monday morning of conference. BBLC programming goes late on Sunday and all attendees will stay until the morning for safety reasons.
Attendee Parking
All attendees will park in the Blue Lot on E. 17th Street (near the corner of N. Fee Lane and E. 17th Street), just north of the Briscoe, McNutt, and Walnut Grove residence halls. No parking pass in required to park in the Blue Lot.
When arriving and departing, please do not park illegally or block any residence hall driveways during check-in or check-out. You may be ticketed and/or towed at your own expense.
Click on each link below to see parking locations highlighted on the map:
