Assume More Cars, Longer Drives, and Zero Parking
A client event in the Hamptons, whether for one or many clients, means you need to consider transportation. The short answer is: Assume more cars, longer drives, and zero parking. Book the valet and the drivers early. Read the fine print on all transportation rentals before you sign.
Your iPhone says 40 minutes between towns in the Hamptons, but it can take 90 minutes on a bad traffic day. Double your time estimates and add extra buffer time for vendors and staff.
Assume more RSVPs will drop out at the last minute, and that house guests will show up uninvited. Plan for extra guests and extra cars at the last minute.
Timing is everything when you throw events in the Hamptons. Local people come midweek, and only on weekends can you reach the bigger populations. Never, ever schedule anything during beach hours. And avoid July 4th traffic if you can.
Everyone drives in the Hamptons and parking is always an issue. Splurge on a valet service when you can, since most venues lack their own parking infrastructure. If you rent a farm field or a beach, be prepared to bring in everything - valets, parking attendants, wifi, water, permits - since none of those are likely to be offered. And make sure you have a tent available if the event is held outdoors.
Beach parking costs top dollar in East Hampton. In the village for 2026, a nonresident season permit costs $750 - that’s for one vehicle only, and it’s nontransferable and nonrefundable.
Some of the press live in the Hamptons, but most of the important ones do not. When you want the media and influencers to attend a Hamptons event, consider chartering a bus to bring them out. Make it a great experience - brand the bus, fill it with goodies and refreshments, and deliver content about the event so they can tweet and post from the road.
Always budget extra time and money for chauffeur service. Your car service drivers deserve just as much respect as any other vendor at your event, so overcommunicate with them about timelines and expectations. Give them all the info they need in advance, and have plenty of vendor meals available so they can fuel up for the long drive. If you want the best nights to run late, then assume they will. Build in contingency time for the DJ set to run longer and schedule the talent’s chauffeur for an extended time frame so no one’s clockwatching.
Rental Cars
If you’re renting cars for your event, New York law says people 18 and older who have a driver’s license cannot be refused service because of age. Rental companies can, however, add on an extra surcharge for any driver under the age of 25. Every driver in the state must carry liability insurance of at least $25,000 for the bodily injury of one person in an accident, and that’s just a starting point. Always check the coverage on any vehicle you rent before you drive it, since the coverage may not automatically be sufficient.
New York just released a new law about peer-to-peer car rental apps like Turo. As of June 17, 2026, Turo’s default host coverage is $75,000 per person. Check your rental to see if this meets your coverage needs.
New York state protects its car rental consumers. It sets the maximum amount that a car rental company can charge for a damage waiver at $15 per day for rental vehicles with an MSRP of $35,000-$50,000. Most luxury and exotic rental cars sell for over $50,000, so there’s no state-set limit on the cost of a damage waiver. The rental company sets that price based on the fair market value, so always ask what the waiver will cost before signing the rental agreement.
If a rented car gets damaged, the driver owes no more than the lesser of the reasonable cost to repair or the fair market value, minus any disposal proceeds, according to New York law. Ask the rental company exactly how much the car is worth before driving it off the lot.
If your rental car bill looks a little higher than you expected, NY state adds a 6% special rental tax to the sales tax on rental cars. Suffolk County is also in the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation District. Read the rental contract carefully.
Entertainment Expenses Are Not Deductible
Know the IRS rules before booking any corporate event. Entertainment expenses are not deductible, but if a client meal meets certain requirements, it may be 50 percent deductible. The meal needs to be reasonable and not lavish, and you or another employee have to actually eat with the client for it to count.
When in doubt, overestimate everything - the time, the number of guests, the number of cars, the traffic. You’ll feel great when everyone arrives safely at the event. The one thing to never do is risk running out of time. Too late is too late. That’s the cardinal sin in event planning. Always choose early.
