An Update on the TRB Annual Meeting

The TRB Annual Meeting is crucial for moving transportation research forward in the U.S. and internationally. In 2021, COVID-19 caused TRB to move to a virtual conference format because meetings of our size were prohibited in Washington D.C. at the time. Exhibitors and attendees were understanding, but expressed concerns about the quality of a remote conference, and had reservations about participating in one in the future. Together with a more optimistic outlook on the pandemic at the time that planning and commitments were made and the success of vaccines, TRB committed to an in-person conference for TRBAM22.

The pace of rise, spread, and other metrics for Omicron are coinciding with the meeting scheduled to begin Sunday, January 9 through Thursday, January 13. Omicron has emerged too recently for us to be able to switch from an in-person conference to a virtual one. We take this situation seriously, and TRB is taking precautions to provide as safe an environment as possible:

- We are following CDC, Washington D.C., and Convention Center protocols.
- We are requiring proof of vaccination.
- We are requiring strict masking protocols during attendance, with security on site to reinforce safe masking practices.
- The Convention Center preparations include: Thermal scanning of participants Star Facility accreditation Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC)®, a Division of ISSA, for its preeminent cleaning, disinfection and infection prevention strategies

This is a crucial time for the transportation industry to address important issues:
- Impact of the pandemic on public transit and aviation usage and changing travel patterns
- Supply chain disruption
- Role of transportation in facilitating global economic recovery
- Transportation’s role in climate change Impact of the infrastructure bill

The TRB Annual Meeting is the industry’s most important venue for the sharing of ideas and potential solutions to these issues through:
-Face-to-face discussion between public, private, and academic attendees from across all sectors of the industry
- The development of new relationships essential for the industry’s future
- TRB’s unique role as a non-profit, independent facilitator of these conversations.

If you have further questions, please check: https://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting/AnnualMeeting.aspx for general questions or go to https://www.trb.org/AnnualMeeting/ContactUs1.aspx to find out how to contact TRB staff by email for more specific questions.