IRF opens path to its vital world meeting event in Riyadh

Building on the success of its past World Meetings, International Road Federation (3918 IRF Washington) is poised for its 17th IRF World Meeting & Exhibition, held this year in Riyadh, November 9–13.

Hosted by IRF chairman and mayor of Riyadh, Eng Abdullah A. Al-Mogbel, this quadrennial meeting and exhibition promises to be the premier event for global transportation professionals in 2013.

Eng Al-Mogbel said this year’s event “will set new global standards of excellence and bring together a wide range of internationally recognised leaders and experts of the highest calibre in Riyadh.”   

Special interest sessions, roundtable sessions, and moderator-led interactive sessions are new to IRF’s World Meeting. Also new is a focus on and dialogue regarding common global issues and challenges faced by the industry. Real-time web and TV broadcasts of the opening and plenary sessions are new initiatives allowing knowledge from the event to reach a wider audience.

A distinguished group of global and regional associations that are strategic partners with the IRF will co-sponsor special interest executive sessions. There are currently two sessions on roads and pavements co-sponsored by the World Road Association (3141 PIARC), a tunneling session co-sponsored by the International Tunneling and Underground Space Association (ITA), a session on public transport and emerging technologies co-sponsored by Calypso Networks, an intelligent transport systems (ITS) session co-sponsored by 4141 Ertico/ITS Europe, a road safety session co-sponsored by the 1341 FIA Foundation, and a highway project management session co-sponsored by the Project Management Institute (PMI).

Importantly, the 17th IRF World Meeting & Exhibition will feature a broad and deep technical and scientific program driven by a Call for Papers. More than 300 papers are expected to be received and reviewed by a multi-national panel of experts from academia. The entire process is being directed and supervised by Technical and Scientific Committee chairmen, Dr Abdurrahman Ibraheem Al-Abd Alali, former secretary general of the Scientific Council, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and Dr Essam Radwan, interim chair of the CECE Department at the University of Central Florida. 

The accepted papers will be presented in dozens of technical and scientific sessions throughout the five days of the event. Papers can be submitted  by following the link shown on the IRF home page at www.IRFnews.org.

The technical and scientific program consists of 11 major themes encompassing all aspects of road transport and mobility; each theme is further subdivided into additional sub-themes. 

IRF president & CEO, Patrick Sankey, commented, “It is a well-established fact that a poor road network hampers economic and social progress.” Mr. Sankey added that the road safety element of IRF’s 17th World Meeting & Exhibition will focus on “saving lives and avoiding injuries in uncessary accidents.”

The 17th World Meeting will also stress innovation via a special Innovation Forum in the exhibition area — an ideal venue for commercial presentations outside of the technical programme.

For the first time since its inception, the presentation of the 2013 IRF Global Road Achievement Awards will be held in both Washington, DC and on the occasion of the World Meeting. Award winners will have the benefit of added visibility in the two capitals. The GRAAs honor and recognise road-industry projects that demonstrate excellence and innovation in road development worldwide.

The road community is also expected to comphrehensively reaffirm the depth of its vision and commitment to leading the way as an essential and dynamic actor in global efforts to address the challenges of our time proactively and decisively.

With over 4000m² of exhibition space, allowing for more than 90 exhibitors, the commercial exhibition will offer an additional and important draw for national and regional attendees. This vast area will feature companies and their products and services spanning the eleven themes and sub-themes of the technical program. 

According to Jean-Claude Roffé, chairman of the 17th IRF World Meeting Outreach Committee, “The corporate sponsors and exhibitors will be a who’s who of global and regional companies in the road industry, including the largest and most important companies in road design and construction, paving and maintenance, bridges and tunnels, intelligent transport systems, road safety, and many more.”

The venue’s outdoor areas are well-suited for equipment demonstrations and product presentations. Indoor space also houses the planned Innovation Forum — where exciting product launches and commercial presentations will take place. 

IRF will also partner strategically with event sponsors to highlight their products and services. Sponsorship packages begin at the Patron level and also include Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. 337 Swarco AG, the Austrian-based global traffic technology and road safety firm, has set the tone for other sponsors, already signing on at the Platinum level — a level limited to a maximum of five sponsors.

Sponsorship packages provide prime exposure for products and services and allow attendees to acquire a well-rounded understanding of how a company’s offerings are beneficial to their specific needs.

IRF will host a Fellows Reunion during the event. Gathering these distinguished road industry professionals from the past
60-plus years in one place will be a memorable moment in IRF history.

The city of Riyadh offers a rich blend of traditional Saudi culture and traditions, and state-of-the-art infrastructure design and construction. With almost 5.5 million inhabitants, Riyadh (Arabic for “the Gardens") is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama.

With its vast network of resources, IRF is extremely pleased to offer this world stage for its members and partners to exchange ideas, best-practices and knowledge. IRF envisions this 17th World Meeting & Exhibition as an opportunity for industry members to not only learn more, but to ultimately promote the miracle of roads and make them a reality for everyone.

Placing Young Careers on the Fast Track:28 Fellows Attend IRF Road Scholar Program

Every January hundreds of students from around the world come to Washington, D.C. to attend the Annual Meeting of the 2774 Transportation Research Board (TRB). They come not only as students, but also as IRF Fellows. After successfully completing the Road Scholar Program, those same students will return to their universities and/or home countries uniquely identifiable by much more — the knowledge, confidence and professional network that will allow them to be a part of the next generation of industry leaders.

28 students from 16 countries participated in the 2013 IRF Road Scholar Program, January 9-19, 2013. From the early hours of the morning until late in the evening, the Fellows gained a better understanding of the process of doing business in the transportation industry in the United States during their visits to the 3510 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the 2410 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Turner-Fairbank Research Center, and the 5131 Virginia Department of Transportation (VADOT).  Additionally, the Fellows were introduced to important international organizations, such as The World Bank and the Organization of American States (OAS), whose support is instrumental in the development of road networks and the sharing of best practices to governments around the world. In addition, the Fellows gained a better sense of the breadth and depth of the global road industry through presentations by a number of IRF corporate members including 3293 AgileAssets, 6008 INC., 7260 CDM Smith, and 2852 Valley Slurry Seal (VSS). 

“I heard being selected as an IRF Fellow was a significant accomplishment; however, I never imagined the doors the program would open for me nor the tremendous network of industry leaders it has provided to shape and advance my career in the road industry for many years to come,” said Muhammad Ali (Pakistan), IRF Fellow and Class of 2013 President.

Since its inception in 1949, the IRF Fellowship Program has graduated 1,300 students from 116 countries. The Class of 2013 boasted seven female students, including the first female Fellow from Ecuador, as well as the first Fellow from Nepal in more than 25 years. “What makes this program unique is not just the scope of countries involved, or the amount of financial support provided to the IRF Fellows over six decades, but it is a combination of those factors plus the bonds that are forged between alumni and the relationships built with future industry leaders,” said Eng Abdullah A. Al Mogbel, Chairman of IRF. 

To learn more about the IRF Fellowship Program or to make a contribution to the International Road Educational Foundation, contact Kathy Mejasich at +1 703 535 1001 / %$Linker: 2 Email <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkEmail [email protected] IRF Washington false mailto:[email protected] true false%>.