The 22nd World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems will be held in Bordeaux from Monday 5 to Friday 9 October, 2015. Each year, the ITS World Congress alternates in location between Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific*. This year marks the second time the World Congress has been held in France since its founding in Paris in 1994 and it stands as the longest running international conference on Intelligent Transport Systems in the world.

More than 10,000 participants including 3,500 delegates, 450 exhibitors, spread across 25,000 sqm of exhibition space, 35 live demonstrations and representatives from over 100 countries will participate in the ITS World Congress throughout the week a record for Europe!. This event is the largest international event dedicated to Intelligent Transport Systems.

The 22nd World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems will highlight during a full week the latest innovations taking place within the ITS industry across the globe. The theme of this year’s World Congress is ‘Towards Intelligent Mobility – Better Use of Space.’ The ITS World Congress technical programme, demonstration and exhibition showcases will all be representative of the Congress theme as well as the 7 main topics of the World Congress, which include:  Space technologies and services for ITS; Cooperative ITS deployment challenges; Multimodal transport for people and goods; Urban trends driving ITS changes; Solutions for sustainable mobility; Automated Roads, Automated Management, Automated Driving; Are Big Data and Open Data transport’s “Silver Bullets”?

The week will include 270 informative programme sessions that will welcome thought leaders, high-level public and private officials, academics and researchers to the podium; a technology showcase that will offer 35 live interactive and innovative demonstrations that will showcase innovative technologies and mobility solutions in simulated real life conditions and on open roads, 450 companies, associations and public entities showcasing their latest products, services and projects, numerous ancillary meetings and events, two competition programmes and an engaging technical visit and social programme.

  • ITS at the heart of international cooperation

On Monday 5 October, The World Congress will begin at 10:00 with a closed door meeting between representatives from the European Commission.

At 13:15, a Press Conference will take place that will focused on the opening of the World Congress, current developments within Intelligent Transport Systems and the World Congress demonstration programme. Speakers will include Violeta Bulc, Commissioner for Mobility and Transport, European Commission, Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux, Cees de Wijs, Chairman, ERTICO – ITS Europe and Florence Ghiron, President, Topos. The Press Conference will attract up to 90 members of local and international press agencies.

ERTICO – ITS Europe Chairman Cees de Wijs to announce 3 major initiatives:

We support the upcoming Dutch Presidency initiative on automated and connected vehicles. We see this initiative as an opportunity to start an ERTICO Partnership campaign for connected – cooperative – and automated vehicles with the ultimate goal of implementing a so called IPCEI (important project of common European interest).

We are launching an alliance on mobility as a service where Finland has already taken the lead in Europe, as demonstrated at the European Congress last year in Helsinki. Mobility as a service is turning our current concept on mobility upside down. It puts the customer, the user on the top. We have worked on this topic in the context of the MOBiNET project for some time and we now want to achieve implementation together with Finland, Austria, Sweden, Netherlands and other European Member States.

We will further intensify our work on the implementation of Cooperative-ITS services in cities within the Compass4D activities. We are currently testing applications which make road transport more fluent, safer and more environmentally friendly in cities. We have now signed a Memorandum of Understanding with European cities and important industry stakeholders to work on sustained implementation of these applications.

Following at 14:00, the Ministerial Roundtable, focused on ITS and Climate Change, will commence. This Roundtable intends to provide to the United Nations on the potential contributions of Intelligent Transport Systems in the fight against global warming and for energy sustainability, prior to COP21, the Sustainable Innovation Forum taking place end of the year in Paris, France. The Round Table will be co- chaired by Alain Vidalies, Secretary of State for Transport, Sea and Fisheries and Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport. Transport representatives from 33* countries will participate in this event.

  • Opening ceremony:

High-Level speakers, international representatives and 2,000 attendees

 A 16:30, 2,000 participants will be welcomed at the Opening Ceremony and Session by representatives of the World Congress organising associations, ERTICO- ITS EUROPE and the Bordeaux Host Authorities, and the master of ceremonies, Alex Taylor. Participants will enjoy sensational entertainment and will hear an address by Alain Vidalies, French Secretary of State for Transport, Sea and Fisheries, Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, France, and keynote addresses from President of ASFA Pierre Coppey and Chairman of PSA Peugeot Citroën’s Managing Board Carlos Tavares. Attendees will hear a lively high-level round table discussion including local, national and global officials and ITS leaders:

  • Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Mobility and Transport
  • Cees de Wijs, ERTICO Supervisory Board Chair
  • Jean-Luc Gleyze, President of Gironde County Council, France
  • Jill Ingrassia, Chair, ITS America Board of Directors, United States
  • Alain Juppé, Mayor of Bordeaux, President of Bordeaux Métropole, France
  • Alain Rousset, Chairman of the Aquitaine Regional Council, France
  • Eiji Wakai, Director-General for Manufacturing Industries Policy, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industries – METI, Japan

The round table will be followed by addresses from:

  • Carlos Tavares, Chairman of the Managing Board, PSA Peugeot Citroën, France
  • François Quentin, Chairman of the Board, Huawei, France
  • Guillaume Pepy, Chairman of the Management Board of the SNCF Holding, Chairman & CEO of the SNCF Mobility Business, SNCF, France

The Opening Ceremony will end with the ceremonial “ribbon cutting ceremony” that symbolizes the official opening of the Exhibition Hall and demonstrations. After the Opening Ceremony, 16 vehicles from different demonstrations will be waiting to bring the Opening Ceremony speakers to the Congress Centre Exhibition Hall. The Welcome Reception will take place in the exhibition area following the ribbon cutting ceremony.