The preparations for the 33rd ITS World Congress in Birmingham took another important step forward as CEO Joost Vantomme presented the ceremonial globe to UK Roads Minister Justin Madders at the ITS UK President’s Dinner in London on Tuesday 10 November 2026.
Held in the presence of more than 350 representatives from the transport and mobility sector, the ceremony marked the next stage in the globe’s journey from Gangneung, South Korea, where the 32nd ITS World Congress concluded in October 2026.
Introduced by ITS UK Chief Executive Max Sugarman, the handover brought together representatives of the UK Government, regional transport authorities and the international ITS community. Joining Joost and Minister Madders were Mike Waters, Chief Technology Officer at Transport for West Midlands, Darren Capes from the UK Department for Transport, and Catherine Whitfield, Chair of ITS UK.
Connecting the global ITS community
The ceremonial globe represents the continuity of the ITS World Congress across its three organising regions: EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific. Joost shared his warm remarks during his speech in the evening:
“The handover of the ITS World Congress globe symbolises the continuity of our global ITS community and our shared ambition to shape the future of mobility. We look forward to seeing the journey continue towards Birmingham 2027, bringing together policymakers, industry leaders and innovators from around the world to exchange ideas, strengthen partnerships and turn ideas and technological advances into real solutions for safer, smarter and more sustainable mobility.”
Celebrating excellence and innovation across the ITS sector
The globe handover also formed part of the 20th ITS UK President’s Dinner and Awards, which brought together more than 350 transport professionals and industry leaders to celebrate two decades of recognising innovation, leadership and achievements across the intelligent transport sector.
ERTICO extends its congratulations to this year’s award winners:
- Ian Patey (WSP in the UK & Ireland) received the Richard Harris Award for International Achievement, presented by CEO Vantomme, recognising over 40 years of international ITS leadership.
- Chris Lane (Transport for West Midlands) received the Rees Hills Award for Outstanding Personal Contribution, recognising his leadership in integrated ticketing and transport innovation.
- Oscar Law (Transport for Greater Manchester) received the Eric Sampson Award for Early Careers Professional of the Year, recognising his contributions to ITS operations and technology.
Andrea Reacroft (Tees Valley Combined Authority) received the Jennie Martin Award for ITS Woman of the Year, recognising her leadership in delivering the UK's first regionwide automated traffic digital twin and advancing autonomous vehicle deployment.
- Tees Valley Combined Authority and Aimsun received both the Project of the Year and Public Transport Awards for the UK's first regionwide automated traffic digital twin.
- Yunex Traffic received Exporter of the Year, while Littlepay was recognised as Start-Up or Scale-Up of the Year for its contactless public transport payment solutions.
- South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and HAAS Alert received the Client or Public Sector Body of the Year Award for improving road safety through digital emergency vehicle alerts.
- QRoutes and Hertfordshire County Council, alongside Inclutech.co, were joint winners of the Better Accessibility through Technology Award for innovations in accessible transport and emergency communication.
- FORS received the Better Safety through Technology Award for its virtual reality driver training.
- Amey, together with National Highways, Transport for Greater Manchester and SYSTRA, received the Changing Behaviour with Technology Award for promoting more sustainable travel choices.
- Telent Technology Services received the Greater Sustainability through Technology Award for its carbon appraisal solution.
- WSP in the UK & Ireland received the Connected & Automated Mobility Award for advancing connected vehicle services.
- Immense received the Digitalisation & Digital Services Award for improving traffic management through digital modelling.
ERTICO congratulates all winners and finalists, as well as ITS UK and its entire team, on a successful evening celebrating 20 years of the President’s Dinner and Awards. These achievements reflect the strength of the ITS community and its shared commitment to translating innovation into practical mobility solutions.
Joost concluded his speech, “ERTICO looks forward to working closely with the UK Government, the West Midlands Combined Authority through Transport for West Midlands, LCRIG, ITS UK and the European Commission and all partners to make Birmingham 2027 a great success.”
Contribute to the ITS World Congress 2027
The Call for Contributions and Demonstrations is now open, inviting organisations, researchers and mobility professionals worldwide to share their expertise, present innovative solutions and contribute to the international dialogue on the future of intelligent transport.
For more information about the Congress, participation opportunities and the open calls, visit the official Congress website.
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