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

  • UN highlights safety pandemic on roads
    November 23, 2015
    Jean Todt, special envoy of UN secretary general on the challenge of road safety Jean Todt, president of, Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and special envoy of the UN secretary general on road safety spoke about the next steps in tackling the plague of road accidents. “Every year, on the world's roads, almost 1.3 million people die. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), road traffic crashes are now the eighth leading cause of death globally, and the leading cause of death am
  • IRF releases 2023 calendar of events
    December 8, 2022
    IRF will once again showcase its global convening power with major regional conferences in North America, Sub-Saharan Africa, Central Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean in 2023.
  • Liugong gets tough
    January 6, 2017
    LiuGong is providing construction machines for use in a particularly tough application that will see them endure ferocious weather conditions. The company is donating two machines to the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC). This will be the first time LiuGong equipment has entered the most rugged environment in the world. The 920D excavator and 856 wheeled loader are being shipped with the PRIC scientific team to the South Pole. Two LiuGong technical experts will go with the machines after attending se
  • Liugong gets tough
    November 23, 2012
    LiuGong is providing construction machines for use in a particularly tough application that will see them endure ferocious weather conditions. The company is donating two machines to the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC). This will be the first time LiuGong equipment has entered the most rugged environment in the world. The 920D excavator and 856 wheeled loader are being shipped with the PRIC scientific team to the South Pole. Two LiuGong technical experts will go with the machines after attending se