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The doors open on Monday morning (27th April) at the Istanbul Congress Centre, the 17th ITS European Congress officially begins and with it, three days of concentrated focus on the technologies, policies and deployments shaping Europes mobility future. But Day 1 is more than a warm-up. It is the moment the sector gathers to set the tone, establish priorities and begin the conversations that will ripple through the rest of the week.
For ITS Now, as Official Media Partner, this marks the start of our event reporting from the Congress, bringing you the insights, announcements and sector-defining discussions as they happen. Whether you're in Istanbul or at home, be here, at ITS Now.
It is a pleasure to welcome you to Istanbul for the 17th ITS European Congress, and to bring together once again a diverse and dynamic community shaping the future of mobility. Istanbul is situated at the crossroads of continents, cultures and transport corridors, providing an inspiring setting for discussions about integration, connectivity and cooperation.
Across Europe and around the world, we are witnessing a clear transition in mobilitys evolution. Innovation remains essential, but the real challenge before us now is integration: ensuring that technologies, policies and operational practices work together as coherent systems that deliver measurable benefits for people, cities and regions. Digitalisation, automation and connectivity are no longer emerging concepts, they are maturing realities that must be deployed, scaled and aligned across complex ecosystems.
This Congress reflects that shift. We will explore mobility from a systems perspective: examining safety, sustainability, resilience and efficiency not as isolated goals, but as interconnected outcomes. Through our Technical Programme, strategic discussions and exchanges of practical experience, we aim to bridge ambition and implementation, connecting research and policy with everyday operational realities.
At the heart of all these conversations lies the user. Integrated mobility must ultimately serve people: supporting accessibility, inclusivity and trust while responding to changing behaviours and expectations. Keeping this focus will be critical as systems become more automated and data-driven.
As organiser of the Congress, ERTICO – ITS Europe is proud to facilitate this platform for dialogue and collaboration. I encourage you to engage actively, share expertise and challenge perspectives. Together, we can continue shaping intelligent, integrated mobility systems that deliver real impact, here in Istanbul and beyond.
This years Congress is built around a clear shift in the ITS landscape: from innovation to implementation. The programme emphasises technologies already being deployed at scale, rather than speculative pilots or conceptual futures. That focus is evident from the very first sessions of Day 1, which highlight how cities, operators and industry partners are embedding intelligent systems into everyday operations.
The overarching theme: Bridging Innovation: Integrated, Safe and Seamless Mobility, is not just a slogan, it shapes the structure of the opening day, which is organised around four strategic pillars:
These pillars guide the first wave of technical and high-level sessions, giving Day 1 a strong strategic backbone.
As dictated by tradition, the Congress begins with the Welcoming Ceremony which will be held in the Hariye Auditorium. Make sure to get there early so you don't miss out! This is followed by a high-level plenary featuring representatives from ERTICO, the City of Istanbul, ISBAK and European mobility leaders. While the detailed speaker list is part of the wider programme, the Day 1 plenary traditionally serves three purposes:
Establishing the political and policy context for Europe’s mobility transformation.
Highlighting Istanbul’s role as a living laboratory for multimodal, high-volume transport operations.
Framing the Congress as a platform for deployment, not just discussion.
Expect strong emphasis on the operational pressures facing European cities, congestion, safety, decarbonisation, and the role of intelligent systems in addressing them.
After the plenary, Day 1 moves quickly into its first technical sessions. These early sessions reflect the Congresss commitment to real-world application:
These sessions collectively demonstrate the Congresss shift toward operational maturity: ITS is no longer a future ambition, it is a present-day necessity.
Day 1 also marks the opening of the exhibition, which is a major draw for delegates. With more than 140 exhibitors presenting technologies already shaping transport systems, the exhibition floor becomes a live demonstration of the sectors momentum.
Visitors can expect:
For many attendees, the exhibition is where partnerships begin and where the practical reality of ITS deployment becomes tangible.
While the Congress includes demonstrations across multiple days, Day 1 features the first set of live deployments and technical visits, giving delegates immediate exposure to ITS in action. These demonstrations are designed to show how technologies perform in real operational environments, a hallmark of this years programme.
EIT Urban Mobility plays a prominent role throughout the Congress and Day 1 includes its first expert dialogues and collaborative sessions. These focus on:
These sessions reinforce the Congresss identity as a meeting point for industry, academia, public authorities and innovators.
Day 1 is where the Congress establishes its narrative: that Europe is moving decisively toward integrated, safe and seamless mobility, powered by intelligent systems already in operation. The first days sessions, demonstrations and exhibition activity collectively highlight:
This is not a day of introductions — it is a day of acceleration.
Day 1 concludes with the Welcome Reception in the Exhibition Hall, where delegates can wind-down after a hectic first day, networking their way to even busier times for the rest of the congress!
As Official Media Partner, ITS Now will be reporting about the major news stories coming out of the congress.
And of course, we will be signposting readers to the latest edition of ITS Edge Magazine, where Joost Vantomme welcomes delegates to Istanbul and sets the stage for the week ahead.
Whether you're in Istanbul or at home, be here, at ITS Now.
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