Skip to main content

World Meeting Outreach Committee Chair makes the case for a wide engagement in the buildup to the 17th IRF World Meeting

Held every four years since 1952, IRF World Meetings have always offered the international road community a rare opportunity to present what they do best and discuss what they could do better. As he prepares to take on the role of chairman of the Outreach Committee, Jean-Claude Roffé, a senior manager at Colas, notes “there isn’t a single recipe for successful World Meetings, but collective experience gained over the last half-century provides guidance in at least three areas:” Local support, global succes
June 18, 2012 Read time: 3 mins
RSS

Held every four years since 1952, IRF World Meetings have always offered the international road community a rare opportunity to present what they do best and discuss what they could do better.

As he prepares to take on the role of chairman of the Outreach Committee, Jean-Claude Roffé, a senior manager at 184 Colas, notes “there isn’t a single recipe for successful World Meetings, but collective experience gained over the last half-century provides guidance in at least three areas:”

Local support, global success

“Since the first edition in Washington DC, World Meetings have invariably borne the stamp of their host country. Madrid, in 1993, took place in the early stages of an unprecedented Spanish construction boom. Lisbon, in 2010, witnessed an extraordinary involvement of local industry actors against a gloomy economic backdrop.

It has also been my experience that the attention to cultural touches brought by the host country, such as the beautiful Fado performance that graced the opening ceremony in Lisbon, produces enduring memories which World Meeting delegates take home with them.”

“With Riyadh, we can count on the unwavering support of Deputy Transport Ministry Abdullah Al-Mogbel. Saudi Arabia is a particularly appropriate choice, a wonderful hub at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and Asia and a strategic export market for all major road contractors.”

Striving for technical excellence

“Establishing a compelling scientific program is an ambitious endeavor which requires a continuous effort to identify innovative practices, emerging trends, as well as issues of specific interest to the Gulf region. 2462 IRF World Meetings have an impressive track record of attracting many top-quality papers from academia, practitioners and government officials, a performance due in large part to the dedication of the road professionals who volunteer their time on the Scientific & Technical Committee.”

“Nor should World Meeting outputs be left to gather dust. They contain valuable knowledge and guidelines which, properly used, will help pave the industry’s future.”

Engaging the road community

“As chairman of the Outreach Committee, my ambition is to ensure all the ingredients are in place for a successful, relevant and inclusive World Meeting. I will gather dedicated professionals of every stripe who agree to act as World Meeting ‘Champions’ over the next 18 months. But I will also strive to extend the reach of our message beyond the International Road Federation to a number of stakeholders we do not always hear from. Our work must also resonate with them.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Democratisation of technology: an interview with Ivan Di Federico
    June 20, 2025
    A very different global future is emerging where a successful business must have a large amount of the right data and access to the best technology. But for long-term success a business must create value for its customers, says Ivan Di Federico, formerly chief strategy officer and now president and chief executive officer of Topcon Positioning Systems. He talks to Anthony Oliver, host of the Infrastructure podcast.
  • IRF joins forces to reduce road deaths
    February 29, 2012
    The UN Road Safety Collaboration has used support from the World Health Organisation in its development of a Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011-2020 (DARS).
  • High Standards for Safety Professionals set by IRF Washington
    December 23, 2015
    IRF Sets International Benchmark for Road Safety Auditors The International Road Federation released a set of minimum qualification guidelines for professionals conducting road safety audits and inspections as part of a global road safety gathering in Brasilia.Speaking at the 2nd Global High Level Conference on Road Safety, IRF Executive Vice President Mike Dreznes noted that design standards alone cannot guarantee road safety in all conditions. “The IRF strongly supports the extended and expanded use of ro
  • Swarco inaugurates new glass bead factory in lower Austria
    July 11, 2022
    Glass microspheres are a versatile product. They are used as reflectors to create nighttime visibility of road markings and traffic signs to improve road safety. But they also have multiple uses in non-traffic applications, whether as blasting media in surface treatment, as filler beads for the compaction of plastics, in additive manufacturing / 3D printing, and water filtering techniques, to name just a few.