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Developing the Annual Meeting and Exhibit Technical Program

By Mr. Jeffrey Lindley P.E posted 08-17-2018 10:26 AM

  

Developing the technical program for ITE International’s Annual Meeting and Exhibit entails nearly a year-long process managed by the ITE Technical Programs Division working collaboratively with ITE Membership Services staff. Starting with Anaheim, CA, USA in 2016, and building in Toronto, ON, Canada in 2017, ITE has transformed the Annual Meeting and Exhibit experience for members with new ideas, dynamic speakers on leading-edge topics, and even more opportunities to engage and connect with mentors, peers, and thought leaders.

In 2018, ITE International expanded the successful joint host model by involving not one, but two District meetings for this year’s Joint ITE International and Midwestern/Great Lakes Districts Annual Meeting and Exhibit in Minneapolis, MN, USA. Work on this year’s meeting began early in Fall 2017, as ITE headquarters began collaborating with the Midwestern and Great Lakes Districts to offer the very best technical content both regionally and internationally combined with local hospitality unique to the Districts. As a first step, ITE leadership established the meeting’s theme—Inspiration. Connections. Knowledge.—and the technical content Pathways, which are key topic areas designed to highlight and facilitate the identification of plenary and technical sessions, workshops, technical tours, and other activities being addressed at the meeting.

With submissions yielding 500 abstracts for the 2017 Joint ITE/CITE 2017 Annual Meeting and Exhibit, ITE staff recognized the need for a more robust and modern abstract submission tool. Staff announced the call for abstracts with descriptions of the Pathway topic areas being sought using an electronic submissions platform called OpenWater that provides a more efficient process for collecting and evaluating abstracts. After the call for abstract period ended, ITE staff worked with more than 50 ITE member volunteers to review and rank more than 240 presentation and session submissions to determine their inclusion in the meeting’s technical program.

Based on the reviewer ratings, the staff then began the complicated work of putting the pieces of the program together like a puzzle according to the technical content Pathways identified: Complete Streets, Connected and Automated Vehicles, Smart Communities, Transportation Systems Management and Operations, Trip Generation, and Vision Zero, along with Pathways related to Family and Leadership. With abstract decisions made and the draft program outlined, staff led the effort to invite and confirm all of the meeting’s
technical session speakers, while also securing dynamic speakers for the opening plenary, power plenary, and closing plenary that will engage the diverse interests of meeting attendees, as well as pre- and post- conference technical workshops.

Throughout the process, Technical Programs Division staff have been working closely with ITE Member Services staff, the Local Arrangements Committee volunteers from the Midwestern/Great Lakes Districts, Family Program Subcommittee volunteers, and Social Media volunteers to design and communicate all aspects of the meeting, from the sessions, tours, and workshops being offered to the many social and networking activities, as well as registration and travel logistics. Staff also are busy throughout the year working with companies and organizations that will exhibit in the Exhibit Hall and provide sponsorships that enable ITE to further enhance the value and enjoyment of the meeting for all attendees. ITE’s Technical Programs Division and all Headquarters staff look forward to sharing the fruits of the Annual Meeting and Exhibit planning efforts with attendees in Minneapolis this month.

Stay tuned to all of ITE’s communication channels for continual updates related to the Joint ITE International and Midwestern/Great Lakes Districts Annual Meeting and Exhibit, as well as news about next year’s 2019 ITE Annual Meeting and Exhibit to be held July 21–24, 2019 in Austin, TX, USA when the planning process begins again this fall!

This is taken from the August 2018 issue of ITE Journal.

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