July 2016 Case Study 17
Intelligent transport of delight
Glasgow was the host city , and SECC the host venue for a week early in June , for the 2016 Intelligent Transport Systems ( ITS ) European Congress . Paul Colston went along
ITS Europe CFO and congress director Didier Gorteman was still buzzing from the 2016 event in Glasgow in June . It had , he said , been an “ excellent co-operation ” with hosts Glasgow City Council and Transport Scotland , as well as with local supporters ; Visit Scotland , SECC , ITS UK and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau .
Feedback from delegates , sponsors and exhibitors had all been positive , Gorteman said . All plenary and executive sessions had been broadcasted live and were available on the organisation ’ s YouTube channel . Topic highlights of the event included coverage of MaaS ( Mobility as a Service ), freight and a session on the maritime sector , while the Mayor ’ s Summit was a first and so successful that next year ’ s ITS Europe hosts Strasbourg have confirmed they will convene it again for the 2017 edition .
The selection process for Glasgow began in 2012 with the city finding out it had been successful at the ITS European Congress in Helsinki in 2014 .
Key reasons for selecting Glasgow , said Gorteman , included the city ’ s technological advancement and investment
Intelligent city-wide support from Glasgow helped make ITS Europe 2016 a success
in its transport sector . “ Glasgow is the UK ’ s first ‘ Smart City ’ having won a £ 24m Future Cities Demonstrator grant from the government ’ s Technology Strategy Board ,” noted Gorteman . He added that Glasgow ’ s aspirations to become one of Europe ’ s most sustainable cities by 2020 had also impressed his committee .
“ The SECC venue easily met all our logistics requirements ,” he added , noting the city had also kept the event fresh , very important as it followed closely on the ITS World Congress .
The city , Gorteman added , had helped promote the event during the preparation phase and helped attract local participants .
Gorteman shed some light on what his committee looked for in a successful host city destination : “ We look at the level of penetration of ITS and transport infrastructure . It needs to be a city which is engaged in deploying intelligent transport systems in terms of policy and technology . We , of course , look at the hosts and the involvement of local authorities , public and private partners involved in the organisation of such events . The commitment of the hosts is fundamental to the success of the ITS Congresses .”
An exhibition and five demonstrations complemented the event by showcasing the latest trends and gave business and networking opportunities , while Gorteman noted the hospitality of the Glasgow people and a Scottish flavour for social events had also been a key factor in attracting delegates .
The SECC venue ’ s compact nature meant the exhibition , the session rooms and demonstrations were all close by - an important factor in keeping delegates in one place , said Gorteman .
Catering had been at the level expected and a great week of warm weather had also help make an impression on delegates , who were able to walk by the river , and into the city centre in 15 minutes .
ITS Europe should leave quite a legacy in Glasgow , according to John Nelson from Aberdeen University , who was the scientific director who ensured the relevance and level of the scientific part of the programme . He was also the chairman last year of the universities transport group in the UK , which has connected the association to another hundred institutions .
Now ITS Europe turns its attention for 2017 to Strasbourg and then to Copenhagen for the World Congress in 2018 .
The announcement of the Mayor ’ s Summit has also provided another platform to issue the call for proposals to host the Congresses for the following three years .