PREPARE FOR IMPACT! The thinking behind the IRF’s masterclasses and panels

The International Road Federation (IRF) is set to highlight innovative and sustainable road practices at the Intertraffic Amsterdam 2026 Summit Programme with a must-attend series of masterclasses and panel sessions.

Across the four days and multiple stages, IRF, a member-based organisation active in over 130 countries will deliver a fast-paced programme of masterclasses and member-led panels designed to ‘translate global trends and challenges into operational guidance and real-world impacts.’

Covering topics as wide-ranging as data-driven safety management and connected infrastructure to climate-resilient road design and future-proof funding models, the IRF’s sessions have been carefully curated to inspire insights and fit-for-purpose innovations that accelerate real-world improvements for inclusive, safe, green and efficient roads.

"IRF will deliver a fast-paced programme of masterclasses and member-led panels designed to translate global trends and challenges into operational guidance and real-world impacts"

Intertraffic’s editorial team caught up with the IRF’s Senior Advisor Brendan Halleman and Head of Membership & Partnerships Olivia Denzler to discuss the thinking behind the format and content of their thought-provoking sessions and masterclasses.

“Intertraffic has always been a big feature in IRF’s calendar, but perhaps even more so this time around than it has before,” says Olivia. “The IRF team has collectively attended many editions of Intertraffic, but we always look forward to the next one. We’ve got two booths this year, one in Hall 1 and one in Hall 11, and we're hosting several sessions in the Summit programme and within the Road Safety stage that we're particularly looking forward to.”

“We've really upped the game here in terms of the partnership with Intertraffic,” Brendan adds. “Historically the IRF and Intertraffic have always been ‘a thing’ since the show’s early days. With this year's line-up, we’re reconnecting with that glorious past. We’re running masterclasses that are short, focused mini training seminars as well as panels with our members for a deep dive into contemporary topics.”

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

As an example of what to expect, one such session will focus on the notion of a greener, safer future that brings together climate and safety specialists to discuss shared challenges.

"We've really upped the game here in terms of the partnership with Intertraffic. We’re running masterclasses that are short, focused mini training seminars as well as panels with our members for a deep dive into contemporary topics"

“We are also participating in a number of other sessions, some of which are organized by Intertraffic,” he adds. “We’re doing one in partnership with FIDIC [International Federation of Consulting Engineers], the organization our former Director General Susanna Zammataro is now heading up. This is a multi-level, multi-tiered, engagement with this year's show.

“The panels will be something you're a bit more familiar with in terms of the format,” Brendan continues, “where we bring three or four speakers, with a good background of private and institutional research. We're getting speakers from the City of Amsterdam and Rijkswaterstaat, so we are fully leveraging our host country. The master classes are a slightly different creature in the sense that they are 45 minutes long and instructor-led. What we're trying to do is provide key insights from a learning perspective.”

A TRULY GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

So, from an organisational perspective, what are the IRF aiming to get out of this year’s event? In the ‘olden days’ (which probably ended in the early twenty-teens), a successful event such as an Intertraffic could be measured by the height of the pile of business cards that you and your colleagues had collected – now, Intertraffic asks Brendan Halleman, would it be more a case of feeling as though you have strengthened your position as thought leaders?

“At Intertraffic, IRF aims to connect organisations and stakeholders to shape the future of road and transport infrastructure systems for people and the planet,” he responds. “For IRF, impact means using its tools and resources to engage members, mobilise the global road transport ecosystem, influence policy, and strengthen capacities for inclusive, safe, green and efficient road systems.”

"At Intertraffic, IRF aims to connect organisations and stakeholders to shape the future of road and transport infrastructure systems for people and the planet"

Asked about how the organisation will measure this, Olivia notes: “It's scale, but also the people that it manages to bring together. That's also what the IRF does with our huge network and our membership, and the global nature of that membership. Intertraffic is a great place for us to bring all those people together and to have those conversations from a global perspective.”

“In this day and age, with Zoom- and Team-based events, Intertraffic is one of our touch points,” adds Brendan. “Even within our membership, many of our members, arguably most of our membership, will be present in one form or another. There's no better opportunity for us to connect and reconnect with them, present our programmes, discuss our shared agenda and learn about their innovations. It’s an educational event for us as well.”

TRANSFORMATIONAL TIMES

Intertraffic Amsterdam 2026 coincides with something of a transformational period for the IRF. The organisation is in the throes of rolling out IRF’s Vision 2030 strategy, which serves as a roadmap and a call to action for the global road community. It challenges the sector to see road systems not simply as physical assets, but a platform for equity, resilience and shared progress.

“we’re hoping to inform and inspire and help people make sense of no just individual technologies, but how they operate within a broader transport system and their broader impacts"

“At the end of the day,” Brendan concludes, “we’re hoping to inform and inspire and help people make sense of no just individual technologies, but how they operate within a broader transport system and their broader impacts, including in some cases the trade-offs between different impacts. In doing so we will help them better understand the positioning of the IRF as a platform at the service of the sector. It gives us the opportunity to be that kind of conduit, as well as bringing those conversations about successes and challenges together. It’s great to be able to talk about it, because there’s something that everyone can take from those conversations.”