|
The process of site selection for the forthcoming Conferences
Renewed Invitation for Bids to Host the 14th WCTR
in 2016
Prof. José Viegas
Chair of Conference Site Selection Subcommittee
1. The Conference:
The World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR) is the premier event of the World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS) and is held every three years. WCTR traditionally moves around the world and is hosted by a leading transport research institution. Recent WCTR were held in Istanbul (2004), Berkeley (2007) and Lisbon (2010). These are large conferences which require considerable advance planning and organisational capabilities on the part of the host institution which works with WCTRS to ensure a high quality conference. The organisers should be prepared to keep the traditions of WCTRS and WCTR, with the freedom to make each conference an event showing the uniqueness of the host site.
The level of the registration fees for the Conference will be determined by the Steering Committee (STC), based on the proposal of the selected candidate and following a discussion between the two parties. There must be reduced rates for students and for delegates from developing countries.
The subscription fees of the Society for the period until the 2019 conference are included in the registration fees for the 2016 conference. The corresponding value will be transferred by the CDT to WCTRS secretariat not later than 4 months after the final day of the conference.
2. The Bidding and Selection Process:
WCTRS now invites bids from leading academic/research institutions who wish to be considered as prospective organisers of the 14th WCTR to be held in 2016.
-
Preliminary bids should be submitted to the Chair of the Site Selection Sub-Committee (SSSC), Professor José Viegas (
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
) with a copy to the WCTRS-Secretariat (
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
) no later than 1 June 2011
- Those submitting bids which are compliant with the requirements of WCTRS will be invited no later than June 10th to make a preliminary submission at the Steering Committee (STC) meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Lyon, France on June 31st - July 1st 2011.
-
Some candidates may be eliminated at this stage. The remaining candidates will be provided with comments and queries from the Steering Committee and invited to prepare a full formal submission in time for its meeting to be held in Washington, D.C. during the TRB meeting in January 2012.
-
Following this meeting the Steering Committee will select a final short-list, providing further comments on points requiring clarification and the Site-Selection Sub-Committee will make short (two to three day visits) to each of these sites to inspect conference facilities, potential accommodation, and discuss the details of conference organisation, budgets, business plan, etc., with the organisers.
-
After these visits the SSSC will report to the Steering Committee at its meeting in Rio de Janeiro in July 2012 (one year before WCTR14) which will make the final selection.
-
The organisers of the successful bid will then be invited to discuss the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will be signed between the President of WCTRS and the WCTR Conference Directorate (CDT) Chair during the STC meeting of January 2013 (or immediately afterwards).
-
The Agreement of Organising the 2016 WCTR14 will later be signed formally during the Closing Ceremony of WCTR13 in Rio de Janeiro in July 2013.
-
3. Criteria for Selection:
The main criteria for Site selection are laid down in the "WCTRS/WCTR Current Operating Practices 2009" available at the web site of WCTRS www.wctrs.org
- It should be noted that as this is an academic research conference, bids must be submitted by a Research Institute or University department with a recognised international profile in transport research. Bids from other organisations will not be considered.
- Bidders may, however, wish to involve a convention bureau or professional conference organiser (PCO) as part of their team but the MOU and the Agreement (see above) will only be signed by the President of WCTRS and a WCTR CDT Chair from an appropriate Institute or University.
- Two levels of importance have been defined for the aspects taken in consideration by the SSSC in its report to the StC. This will be reflected in the weighting of those aspects. However, a very negative score in one aspect, even if in the 2nd level of importance, may fully disqualify one proposal.
Download the Complete Guide for Bids to Host WCTR14 in 2016
|
The Process of Site Selection