The lights for IT-TRANS, scheduled to launch next week at the Karlsruhe Trade Fair Centre, are set to green. According to the consultancy firm Berg Insight, the European market for public transport ITS (intelligent transportation systems) for buses and trams is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.2 percent from 1.03 billion euros in 2014 to reach 1.46 billion euros by 2019.
Digitization in public transport is the central theme of IT-TRANS. From 1 - 3 March, the fifth International Conference and Exhibition will once more be the global forum for IT solutions in public transport. 210 exhibitors from 34 countries will present current products and services relating to ticketing, passenger information systems, smart cards as well as new and integrated mobility platforms, among others, on an exhibition space of 12,500 square meters. All key players in the industry will be present. Approximately 5,000 specialist visitors from around 60 countries are expected. IT-TRANS, organised by the International Association for Public Transport (UTIP) and the Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress-GmbH (KMK), is thus bigger and more international than ever before.
“The popularity among the exhibitors and the increasing international appeal of the event emphasis that IT-TRANS has definitively established itself as the global platform for digital solutions in public transport,” said Britta Wirtz, managing director of Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress-GmbH.
New conference format positively received
The new conference format, which includes parallel sessions that focus on innovation on the one hand and the implementation of concrete solutions on the other, has been very positively received by conference participants. “This year, we have seen a strong increase in participants from countries that are still in the early stages of integrating IT into public transport. This tells us that our focused and individually tailored program is spot on,” said the secretary general of UTIP, Alain Flausch. Participants are coming from Tanzania, Rwanda, Bolivia and Malaysia, for example.
Overall, around 80 international experts from sectors such as transport services, economics, politics, government, research and development will present innovative solutions and their implementation in 15 conference sessions. Aside from key areas such as e-ticketing, passenger information systems and ITCS, the speakers will also give examples of how information technologies enable stronger integration of public transport in urban areas. The focus is on smart cities and smart mobility. Speakers are expected from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and North America. One of the conference program highlights will be the keynote speech by US mobility expert, Gabe Klein. He will be talking about how new forms of urban mobility can be launched more quickly.
Market Update Forums with on-stage magazine “Intelligent World”
The conference program will be rounded off by two freely accessible Market Update Forums, which are directly integrated into the exhibition. Sixteen sessions and around 40 speeches will allow exhibitors to present best practice examples and successfully implemented projects. There will also be an on-stage magazine featuring new digital technologies. Hannes Rügheimer, chief editor of Intelligente Welt.de, and IT journalist Christian Spanik will talk with experts about topics such as open data and data platforms, position tracking of passengers, data protection and demand responsive transport live at IT-TRANS. The on-stage magazine “Intelligent World” is organised by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI), Bitkom and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).
New features at the exhibition
This year’s IT-TRANS exhibition features a special offer for startups. Young innovative businesses from Germany will present themselves at the joint stand C17, supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), in Hall 1. There is also a new staff recruitment opportunity at the exhibition. A job wall in Hall 1 at stand H11 allows exhibitors looking for qualified personnel to publish their vacancies.
