1. Introduction to the Congress & Exhibition
Take part in the biggest event in public transport which will take place
in Milan from 8 – 10 June 2015
The 61st UITP World Congress & Exhibition comes at a time when public transport is facing an unprecedented number of changes and challenges. It’s the perfect opportunity for the sector to step forward, shape the city and advance the cause of public transport around the world.
What challenges?
• Growing urbanisation and demographic changes
• Climate change and the degradation of air quality
• Demand for lifestyle services and connectivity
• Implementing business-oriented management strategies
• Finding alternative funding streams
• Forming partnerships within the private sector
• Establishing a more commercial approach that maintains social policy objectives
• Ensuring adequate governance and regulatory frameworks
Time to take the lead
Why should public transport take the lead? Other industry players are reinventing themselves as mobility service providers, encouraged by a mixture of technological innovation, the sharing economy and the reorientation of business strategies whilst being sustained by policy initiatives (Smart Cities). Public transport needs to step up and take the lead.
Public transport must take leadership of the urban mobility system. Though certain developments are perceived as threats to traditional public transport models, the stakes go much beyond the development or loss of ridership. The public transport sector needs to concentrate on the bigger picture and model itself as the natural integrator of urban mobility services.
The Congress theme
…what does SMILE in the City mean?
Public transport is being called upon to change. It must perform better, be more efficient, respond to changing expectations, and be more customer-and business-oriented. It must also contribute to job creation and growth, make cities more competitive, attract investors, reduce congestion, and lead the way in urban mobility integration. These ambitious but realistic goals are reflected in the slogan:
“Smile” is the acronym of five keywords related to these challenges and to UITP’s PTx2 strategy:
Sustainability
Mobility
Innovation
Lifestyle
Economy
These keywords represent the main thematic clusters of the Congress programme, which will consist of large plenary sessions, interactive workshops, round-tables, lunch debates as well as Expo Focus sessions presenting exhibitors’ latest innovations.
More than
2,000 participants
From
75 countries
30,000 m2
of exhibition space
Around
320 exhibitors
More than
25,000 visits of the exhibition
Around 250
international press & media representatives
