Busworld and UITP (the International Association of Public Transport) are proud to announce a strategic partnership that will see UITP's established International Bus Conference take place in conjunction with the renowned Busworld Europe exhibition in Kortrijk, Belgium.
The world-class event, entitled ‘UITP-Busworld International Bus Conference,’ combining Busworld and UITP's unrivalled major bus events, will be held in conjunction with Busworld Europe in Kortrijk (20-25 October 2017), the world’s oldest and most famous bus and coach exhibition.
The two-day conference (23-24 October) will highlight the major trends and developments affecting the bus industry, from connected and autonomous buses to the rollout of clean electric bus fleets. A third day of sessions will be devoted to exploring Research & Innovation in Europe and the rest of the world in buses and bus systems.
The move is a logical partnership, combining UITP’s global knowledge base with Busworld’s more than 40 years’ experience and will see the two partners working closely together to develop the conference programme.
The 2015 edition of Busworld Europe (Kortrijk) attracted some 34,932 visitors from 118 countries (up 9% on the previous edition) and more than 411 exhibitors.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Busworld,” explained UITP Secretary General, Alain Flausch. “The partnership will offer visitors the complete picture of everything that’s going on in this dynamic industry, when capacity is higher than ever thanks to double-articulated and Bus Rapid Transit and when buses are cleaner than ever thanks to hybrid and electric propulsion. We hope this move will enable the event to continue to grow in stature and become an even-more unmissable occasion on the industry calendar”.
Redgy Deschacht, President of Busworld Europe, strongly believes in this partnership. He explained: “The world of bus and coach is changing so rapidly, that constantly updated information is crucial to the industry and its players. It is a responsibility that all the Busworld exhibitions fully want to take, by organising conference programmes in addition to the exhibitions. We are convinced of the added value that this partnership will bring for our visitors.”
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Note for the editors
Busworld Europe (Kortrijk): Busworld Kortrijk started in 1971 and is held every two years in Kortrijk (Belgium). With over 40 years of experience, it is the oldest and most famous bus and coach exhibition. In 2017, it will be the last edition in Kortrijk Xpo, because starting from 2019, Busworld will be organised in Brussels Expo. In 2001 Busworld went worldwide and it now has four sister exhibitions covering all continents.
UITP: The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) is a passionate champion of sustainable urban mobility and is the only worldwide network to bring together all public transport stakeholders and all sustainable transport modes. They have 1,400 member companies giving access to 18,000 contacts from 96 countries. Their members are public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, research institutes and the public transport supply and service industry.
