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

  • IRF announces winners of its 2018 Global Road Achievement Awards
    January 15, 2019
    IRF has announced the winners of the 2018 IRF Global Road Achievement Awards, a global competition to recognise outstanding achievement by road professionals. Instituted in 2000, the Awards have distinguished 150 programs, projects and products from around the world. This year, the IRF is honouring 11 projects from around the world, each leading the way in innovation across major road and highway disciplines. The selection was made by an international panel of senior road development specialists. "As an in
  • Safety first at IRF Caribbean Regional Congress in Jamaica
    July 7, 2015
    The wealth of experiences and ideas shared during the recent 4th IRF Caribbean Regional Congress underscored the International Road Federation’s value in shaping policy contributions to global transportation challenges ranging from resilient infrastructure to road safety. The regional congress coincided with the start of the 3rd United Nations Global Road Safety Week, an initiative aimed at fostering discussion and awareness-raising in more than 100 countries. The event was run by the IRF Washington office
  • Campaign urges UK drivers to get eye tested every 2 years
    August 5, 2013
    A new campaign is calling on UK drivers to ‘sharpen up’ their act by getting their eyesight tested every two years to ensure their vision meets legal standards and they aren't putting people in danger. The campaign by road safety charity Brake, in association with the DVLA, insurer RSA and Specsavers, comes as new research shows many drivers are failing to ensure they can see properly on every journey. A survey of 1,000 UK drivers by Brake, RSA and Specsavers finds that a quarter of drivers (26%) haven't ha
  • IRF's World Meeting attracting strong industry interest
    February 8, 2012
    Planning is now well in hand for the 16th International Road Federation World Meeting 2010 in Portugal. The event is being held in Portuguese capital Lisbon from Tuesday 25th may to Friday 28th May and includes a top-flight programme of speakers and conference topics.