2021 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting is going virtual

TRB is announcing today that the TRB 100th Annual Meeting (#TRBAM), originally scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., will be conducted as a virtual event over a series of dates throughout January 2021.

TRBAM in its traditional face-to-face format brings together more than 14,000 transportation professionals from all over the world. “If other virtual events are a good indication, we expect to surpass that total attendance for the 2021 TRBAM,” said TRB Executive Director Neil J. Pedersen.

The meeting program will cover all transportation modes, addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, technical experts, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. A number of sessions and workshops will focus on the spotlight theme for the 2021 meeting: Launching a New Century of Mobility and Quality of Life.

“The health and safety of TRBAM attendees was the most important factor in the decision to go fully virtual. While we are disappointed that we will not be able to meet in person because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we still have a great program planned, with the usual breadth and quality of content that attendees have come to expect,” Pedersen said.

Through an interactive virtual event platform, attendees will be able to join from anywhere in the world, experience presentation and poster sessions, workshops, exhibits, and committee meetings; and, most importantly, connect with other attendees – just as they have all come to expect from TRBAM each January.

“All the state departments of transportation will have representation at TRBAM, as will many federal, state, and local agencies, private-sector companies, and academic institutions. There will be many experts interacting in meaningful discussions with conference attendees, in group as well as one-on-one discussions, and we are looking forward to their participation,” added Carlos Braceras, Chair of TRB’s Executive Committee and Executive Director of the Utah Department of Transportation.

The keynotes, plenary sessions, breakout sessions, poster sessions, committee meetings, exhibits, and networking opportunities will be available to all full-registration attendees. Registration fees, which will be announced prior to registration opening in September, will be reduced in recognition of the challenges faced by TRB’s volunteers, friends, and supporters.

The dates of the Annual Meeting events are still to be determined. Committee meetings will be hosted earlier in the month, possibly in the first two weeks of January; sessions and exhibits will take place later in the month.

"The Annual Meeting is a critical event for transportation researchers all over the world. As TRB turns to its next 100 years, this community of volunteers—whether in-person or virtually—will continue leading impartial research, facilitating objective dialogues, and fostering innovative strategies,” said Susan Shaheen, Vice Chair of TRB’s Executive Committee and Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Co-Director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at UC Berkeley.

TRB will announce exact dates for TRBAM 2021 as soon as they are confirmed, and, as noted above, registration will open in September. For more information, please visit the TRBAM website.