Annual Conference and Exhibition

annual conference and Exhibition

2010 Annual Conference
& Exhibition

September 26-29
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Adjusting to New Realities

Professional Development for New Times

Halifax is the place to be this September if you want to expand your horizons and energize your work. That’s where hundreds of your public and private-sector colleagues will assemble for TAC’s 2010 Annual Conference and Exhibition. They will be there because the event will provide an unparalleled opportunity to validate, broaden and enhance their knowledge base in the roads and transportation sector.

Photo: Destination Halifax / W. Hayes

You’ll begin your conference learning experience with stimulating insights into the main theme of the event – Adjusting to New Realities. Thought-leaders and decision-makers will focus attention on the need for greater efficiency and innovation during this difficult economic period. This will occur at the Opening Plenary Session on Monday, September 27 when such topics as competition for limited funds, other infrastructure and service challenges, strategic technical advancements and climate change impacts will be explored.

Following the kick-off, many of the more than 150 presenters at TAC’s 2010 conference will address issues related to its theme. These include the role of policy in dealing with new realities, managing the risk of aging infrastructure, responding to climate change, the integration of sustainable transportation and urban design, adapting transportation safety to climatic evolution and good governance to tackle the realities of today.

You should also interpret the conference theme as a call to reach beyond the boundaries of your working environment and to learn the latest in your field of interest. What’s more, Canada’s preeminent annual transportation event offers outstanding networking opportunities and an ideal setting for client relations and development efforts.

Delegates should make their hotel arrangements NOW and register as soon as possible. By signing up early for the TAC conference, you’ll also save money on the registration fee! Delegates who register by July 23 will qualify for a speedy registration prize! The draw will take place at the Halifax conference.

The conference registration form and the following sections contain all the details you need, including the deadline for reduced registration rates and contact information for special discounted air and rail fares.

Technically Speaking

The super-charged technical agenda of the TAC conference is a mix of nearly 45 sessions, panel discussions and workshops on an even broader range of topics than those covered by the main theme of the event (summary / detailed program). Among them are accommodating pedestrians in road design and traffic operations, active transportation success stories, permeable pavement design and technology, right-sizing transit systems, lowering the carbon footprint of concrete and meeting the employment needs of 2010 graduates.

Also on the agenda are poster sessions to allow for greater interaction between authors and delegates.

Note that a think-tank atmosphere is planned for the morning of Wednesday, September 29 with an in-depth review of issues during three workshops and six panel discussions. Presentations will be given by specialists at these concurrent events, after which participants will thoroughly debate various aspects of the issues either in small workshop groups or in a full forum during panels.

Please fill out the workshop registration form and return it to the TAC secretariat, along with your conference registration form.

CHECK OUT THE MUNICIPAL PROGRAM STREAM

A special emphasis has again been placed on issues of concern to the municipal constituency at this year’s conference. Several activities will be of direct interest to these delegates including sessions on urban transportation planning and travel mode shifts, a workshop on urban transportation indicators, as well as panel discussions on advances in goods movement planning and asset management for small municipalities.

THINK YOU'LL MISS A PRESENTATION?

Most delegates find it almost impossible to attend all the conference events of interest to them because some are unavoidably scheduled concurrently. However, keep in mind that most session papers are published in the conference proceedings. Besides serving as an official source of information for future reference, the proceedings may also free you to attend other events you do not want to miss. Consider taking the full registration package or purchasing the proceedings on site.