The 30th ITS World Congress in Dubai kicked off on Monday 16 September, turning the city into the global hub of intelligent transportation for five incredible days of cutting-edge technology, business strategies, and policy solutions shaping the future of mobility.
Official Opening Ceremony
The week officially commenced with the official Opening Ceremony, attended by more than 4,000 participants, highlighting innovation, collaboration, and forward-thinking vision. A Royal welcome from His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum underscored Dubai’s commitment to becoming a global leader in smart mobility. Inspirational speaker Dr. Michio Kaku and Dr. Angelos Amditis, (Chairman, ERTICO – ITS Europe), shared their visionary insights on the future of mobility, while global leaders such as Brian Cronin (U.S. Department of Transportation), Max Lemke (European Commission), and Takeru Ito (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan) contributed their unique perspectives on the evolving landscape of transport. Joost Vantomme (CEO, ERTICO – ITS Europe), Laura Demeo Chace (CEO, ITS America), and Akio Yamatoto (Secretary General, ITS Asia Pacific) explored the present and future of ITS and mobility with insightful discussions on the panel “ITS: What It Is and What It Can Be”.
The ceremony also provided a great opportunity to present the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Awards to three regional winners, Jennie Martin (EMEA), Shailen Bhatt, (USA) and Ninnart Chaithirapinyo (Asia-Pacific).
Close to 15,000 participants from 80 countries attended the ITS World Congress, engaging in a comprehensive programme of over 200 sessions. Among many highlights during the five days, we witnessed an incredible involvement of over 650 distinguished speakers, ranging from global industry leaders to government officials and academic experts. All convened with the shared mission to contribute and exchange their expertise for the future of mobility. Another important pillar of the Congress is the comprehensive Congress Programme which featured High-Level sessions including 3 Plenaries, 8 International Forums and 1 Regional Forum, 7 Host sessions, as well as a MaaS/MOD Glogal Forum. These discussions provided all participants a unique opportunity to explore new ideas with insights into topics such as mobility data, digitalisation, and sustainable transport.
Exhibition and demonstrations
The Exhibition Hall served as the heart of the Congress. It featured the latest technologies and innovations from over 175 global exhibitors who showcased their dedication and contribution to advance future mobility solutions. The exhibition also provided an unmatched networking opportunity for representatives from all the world to establish strategic partnerships. It was a dynamic hub for discovering the future of transport with 12 live demonstrations, highlighting cutting-edge solutions in autonomous technologies, artificial intelligence and innovative solutions for electric vehicles. The Congress also organised 10 technical visits for attendees to experience first-hand insights into Dubai’s advanced transport infrastructure and smart city initiatives.
Beyond these highlights, the event marked a great success with invaluable support and contribution from 26 commercial partners.
On Thursday 19 September, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer visited many exhibitors during his Royal tour together with the Roads and Transport Authority’s Board of Executive Directors. ERTICO, represented by Dr Angelos Amditis, Chairman and the ERTICO team welcomed His Excellency’s visit to the ERTICO European Pavilion. This occasion provided an excellent opportunity to showcase ERTICO’s mission and vision for advancing smart mobility across Europe and beyond.
Future of Mobility Summit
Over 100 participants from Global leaders and decision-makers convened at the Future of Mobility Summit to discuss the urgent need for mobility stakeholders to attain sustainability goals, bringing together Government and Ministerial representatives from 20 countries, along with 25 representatives from local and regional governments, and 10 international organisations to reflect on ways to assess the impact of mobility initiatives in alignment with global sustainability goals. Key topics included social equity, data-driven policy, technological standards, and the integration of transport with economic indicators. The Summit emphasised the need to turn ambition into action and move from discussion to measurable progress in advancing global sustainability goals.
Government, public authority and industry leaders at the Future of Mobility Summit highlighted the importance of establishing a unified framework to guide the global transition towards safe, resilient, and environmentally responsible transport systems. The focus during this cross-regional and cross-sectoral exchange was on two of the sustainability pillars: social and economic. In emphasising the urgency of aligning efforts across borders and sectors, discussions also centred on the role of technology and policy as key facilitators of this transition.
Official Press Conference
The official Press Conference, themes Smart Solutions for a Sustainable Future, featured over 120 media registrations with key interventions from distinguished speakers representing ERTICO, Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), and Congress Partners, Parsons and Joby Aviation.
Ahmad Hasan Mahboub, CEO of RTA, highlighted Dubai’s ongoing progress in delivering smarter mobility solutions for the city and region, focusing on safety as the core of all innovations. Dr. Angelos Amditis, Chairman of ERTICO, presented the key take-aways from the Future of Mobility Summit, Joost Vantomme, CEO of ERTICO, detailed the importance of organising the ITS Congresses, notably the 30th anniversary for the World Congresses, and gave a brief of the New Innovation Platform on ITS-Driven Innovative Aerial Services (IDI). Dan Lukasik, Vice President at Parsons Corporation showcased the AI-powered iNET® transportation management software, and Tyler Trerotola, General Manager for Middle East at Joby Aviation announced plans to launch air taxi services in Dubai by 2026.
A Memorable Closing
The event culminated in a memorable Closing Ceremony, featuring the passing of the ITS Globe to the next Host continent and announcement of next ITS World Congresses Host cities. Next stop: Atlanta, USA (2025), followed by Gangneung, South Korea (2026), and Birmingham, UK (2027).
The Congress wrapped up with an awards ceremony honouring top innovations and contributions in the field of ITS in such categories as: Best Rated Session, Best Research Paper and Best Technical Paper, followed by Chief Congress Rapporteur Wolfgang B. Hoefs reflecting on the many advancements and ideas that will continue to shape the mobility landscape in the years ahead.
This year’s edition of the ITS World Congress in Dubai highlighted the strength of the global ITS community in advancing smart mobility initiatives, with active participation from both the public and private sectors. Our 28 official media partners, along with over 120 media representatives, played a key role in amplifying the success of the event. The Congress once again proved to be a premier platform for showcasing scientific excellence, groundbreaking business cases, and driving forward the deployment of innovative transport solutions, demonstrating the significant achievements of the ITS World Congress to all stakeholders. The global ITS community left Dubai inspired and ready to continue advancing the future of intelligent transportation.
For those who couldn’t attend, or want to relive the highlights, the Congress moments were captured in videos and photos.