There’s a Summit going on
Intertraffic is not just the world’s largest mobility and traffic technology trade show, its innovative Summit Programme is as comprehensive and wide-ranging as it is on-topic. We spoke with Programme Manager Esther de Waard about what the 2022 Summit Programme has to offer.
After an unprecedented and entirely unexpected four-year gap, Intertraffic Amsterdam is back. At the end of March, the mobility and traffic technology world will descend upon the RAI to take in the latest developments, innovations, inventions and thinking. While thousands will wander the exhibit halls searching for technology solutions, the Summit Programme will be taking place over all four days in specially built, self-contained theatres. Summit Programme Manager Esther de Waard helps us navigate the multitude of highlights.
Intertraffic: Esther, can you guide us through some of the Summit Programme’s highlights? What’s new and really interesting this year?
Esther de Waard (EdW): For a start, the programme is packed and bigger than ever. We expect around 120 sessions and demonstrations and I think Intertraffic offers something for everyone. We have one or two themes per day per theatre. This year the theatres are all in Hall 7. So compared to the last edition in 2018 everything will be in one place. The theatres will stage keynotes, interactive presentations, debates and panel discussions focusing on innovations, policy guidelines and user experiences presenting mobility solutions and policy guidelines that fully respond to the challenges in the sector. In addition we've got a demo area and an open stage area where we will stage pitch presentations, and also some work sessions where the presenters and stakeholder organizations can talk about their mobility solutions and their policy guidelines that offer many innovative solutions and best practices to speed up the mobility transition. Renowned companies, cities and stakeholder organizations such as Swarco, 3M, Yunex Traffic, EasyPark, International Road Federation, Polis, City of Amsterdam, TomTom, Visa, Mobileye, Teledyne FLIR, Redflex Traffic Systems, Flowbird, WPS Traffic Systems and many others will be part of the programme.
A big plus: there’s no fee to attend the sessions of the Summit Programme, largely because it's part of a large exhibition. The Summit Programme is all about inspiring and connecting people. And to offer visitors the necessary tools to facilitate the mobility transition they are in.
Intertraffic: Can you give us some examples?"The programme is packed and bigger than ever. We expect around 120 sessions and demonstrations and I think Intertraffic really offers something for everyone."
EdW: We’ll be covering the hot topics, such as digitalization and automation, artificial intelligence, the enormous growth in data collection and increasing connectivity as travellers need more information than ever before. The programme also features pressing issues, such as achieving Green Deal objectives, vision zero, integrated mobility services and redesigning infrastructure. We’re not afraid of challenging subjects. We're also talking about next generation traffic management and the changing role of the road operator and how that is becoming an increasingly digital role.
Sustainability & livability
Intertraffic: One of the subjects that we’ve been covering editorially is sustainability. Presumably this is also the case with the Summit Programme?
EdW: Yes, absolutely. The question is now just how we are going to meet the challenges in cities when it comes to livability and safety and sustainability, which are integrated into traffic management solutions, but also the modal shifts, integrated mobility services, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans and how to use public space in a more flexible way. So, these are all issues that we are going to address. The summit will be a mixture of keynotes, solution presentations, workshops, debates and panel discussions and the preliminary programme will be online at the end of January on the Intertraffic website and via Intertraffic Connect, our new online networking platform. People can register and raise questions to the speakers so it's a more interactive way of communicating and providing a direct connection between the speakers and the visitors.
"The question is now just how we are going meet the challenges in cities when it comes to livability, safety and sustainability, but also the modal shifts, integrated mobility services, Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans and how to use public space in a more flexible way"
Intertraffic: Presumably a fair proportion of the papers that were submitted for 2020 are going to be included this year. How did you go about fitting those in with the newly submitted presentations for 2022?
EdW: Yes, some of the speakers indicated that they would like to resubmit their presentation, of course, and they have been updated with real time data, or perhaps with other speakers. But only part of the 2020 programme has been transferred to this year and updated. There are a lot of new exhibitors this year [look out for forthcoming articles focusing on first-time exhibitors] that have sent in requests for presentations and we're also working together with some stakeholder organizations such as the International Road Federation and POLIS but also the Dutch Ministry and cities for instance, to present some workshops.
An online presence
Intertraffic: For those potential visitors that aren’t able to attend in person, for obvious reasons, how will they be catered for?
EdW: We will stream or record certain sessions for those unable to join us in person. There will be a couple of hybrid elements in the Summit Programme, such as the opening ceremony taking place in Hall 7 in one of the theatres.
Intertraffic: What else is different to previous iterations?
EdW: Compared to 2020, we also have some keynote presentations that are also part of the Summit Programme. We’ll start the day with a keynote address and then we'll continue with interactive presentations, debates and panel discussions.
Intertraffic, the global trendsetter
Intertraffic: Over the years the show has been responsible for identifying trends, launching new products, giving the world its first view of technological innovations and announcing a plethora of initiatives, new companies and major collaborations and joint ventures. What can we expect this year on that front?
EdW: I think one of the most interesting trends this year is the application of artificial intelligence to make roads safer. Also: how do we get from big data to smart traffic management? And how do you create smart data applications for the road operator and for the road user/traveller. That's one of the things we are seeing a lot of. Also, creating more traffic insights using data that has been collected in all kinds of ways. We’re also seeing, in both the Summit Programme and the exhibition halls, the increasing optimization of traffic monitoring using cloud technology and roadway analytics.
I’m very excited about our workshops that focus on the impacts of the Green Deal. What are the new guidelines for the reduction in CO2 emissions? What does this mean for the way we design cities? How can we use roads and public space in a more flexible way? How can we create services that give people a genuine choice in new mobility modes? These are the experiences that we are going to share with the Summit’s audience.
"I think one of the most interesting trends this year is the application of artificial intelligence to make roads safer."
Intertraffic: Finally, Esther, is every Summit session slot filled or is there still room to consider some last-minute submissions?
EdW: Actually it is almost full, we only have limited available slots so if readers want to submit papers they have a few more days in which to do so but don’t delay! The details are available on the Intertraffic website. The Summit programme will be published online at the end of January for visitors to select the sessions of interest. We’re looking forward to seeing you all there after a four-year absence!
Intertraffic Amsterdam takes place from 29 March to 1 April 2022. For more details, registration and for information on how to submit a last-minute paper, visit: http://www.intertraffic.com/amsterdam
