The 2027 ITS World Congress in Birmingham will give exhibitors the opportunity to find new customers and delegates the chance to discover technologies they can put to work, according to ERTICO – ITS Europe Chief Executive Joost Vantomme.
Speaking to the Highways Voices podcast, which comes out on Friday, Mr Vantomme says the event at the NEC from 25–29 October 2027 will bring together international expertise, commercial opportunities and practical demonstrations of transport innovation.
His message to organisations weighing up the value of attending is that Birmingham will offer more than a week of discussion.
“It’s innovation and it’s actually new business, new business cases, good ROI, good investments, and a festival of ideas for themselves,” he says.
For exhibitors, a key benefit will be the layout of the Congress, with delegates passing through the exhibition to reach the conference sessions. Mr Vantomme says this will bring the technical programme’s audience directly into contact with companies showcasing their products and services.
“Those who want to follow the sessions, more than 300 sessions, thought leadership sessions, they’re obliged to pass by through the exhibition,” he explains.
That creates opportunities for exhibitors to meet people attending to learn about the very challenges their technologies address, while helping delegates connect what they hear in sessions with solutions they can see and discuss on the exhibition floor.
Mr Vantomme says the commercial case for taking a stand includes attracting “new customers or leads”, networking and showcasing technologies and new features to an international audience.
He expects the programme to span connected and automated mobility, smart roads, cloud technology, artificial intelligence, edge computing and drones.
For delegates, the emphasis will be on understanding both what is coming next and what is ready to deploy. Mr Vantomme says ERTICO’s focus is increasingly on turning research and innovation into practical applications, giving attendees the opportunity to explore how technologies could address their own transport challenges.
“I think it’s time to scale up to deploy,” he says. “It’s not only research anymore, it’s really the technology is there. Look at automated driving, digital twins.”
He says planned demonstrations in Birmingham will include automated shuttles at the NEC, alongside new AI systems and robotics.
However, he argues that the value of these developments must be measured by their benefits to the people using transport.
“It’s more than just technology,” he says. “It’s about what’s the value for the user. For my mother, my father, my children, how will they use seamless ticketing?”
Mr Vantomme also points to the strength of the UK’s transport technology sector and collaboration involving the Department for Transport, Transport for West Midlands, ITS UK and ERTICO as reasons for confidence in Birmingham.
Speaking during this year’s Congress in Gangneung, South Korea, he says interest from organisations across Europe, the Americas and Asia is building, creating opportunities to exchange experience and develop international business relationships.
“I think that Birmingham will be the best congress ever,” he said.
Hear the full interview with Joost Vantomme in Friday’s Highways Voices podcast.
(Picture – LCRIG)
