IRU’s 7^th International Taxi Forum, which will be held on November 5, during the European Taxi Fair (4-5 November, Cologne Exhibition Centre) has changed its format: plenary and breakout sessions make for an interesting variation.

The European Taxi Fair would be a whole lot less international without IRU’s flagship-event, the International Taxi Forum – the 7^th already. Like the European Taxi Fair it is held every two years. Not that the International Road Transport Union limits its taxi-events to this particular Forum (it organizes many more taxi seminars and conferences throughout the year), but the Cologne Forum (on Saturday November 5), always offers something special with an overview of the state of the taxi world and a look forward. No wonder it draws a wide variety of taxi specialists from all over the world.

Not just the topics discussed at this event (‘Taxi – Anytime, Anywhere 4.0’) draw these taxi operators, taxi drivers, consultants, representatives from taxi companies, associations, governments, regulators, suppliers and journalists from far and wide, interpretation in four languages (English, Spanish, Russian and German) also helps the taxi world to communicate. The Forum runs in the Kristallsaal from 09.30 to 13.30, followed by networking drinks at the IRU stand on the Trade Fair floor.

The evening before (November 4), IRU welcomes taxi colleagues in the Rhein-Terrassen Restaurant near the Rhine and the Exhibition Centre for the 3^rd IRU International Taxi Business Reception. The reception starts at 18.30. There food and drink – and a great view of Cologne – create a truly positive business atmosphere to make contacts in for next days’ Forum.

This year the format of the Taxi Forum has changed. No longer held in a room which, last time, could only just hold the large attendance of 300+ taxi specialists (400 this time?), the Forum has also made changes to the format: two specialised break-out sessions are nicely sandwiched between two plenary sessions (both plenary sessions moderated by John Kidd, IRU’s Head of Communications and Events).

One plenary session deals with ‘Which are the main global market access trends?’ and the other one discusses: ‘What taxis do we want to see in 2030 and 2050?’ The latter session focuses very much on regulatory questions and a look into the near future with speakers from London, Singapore, Dubai, Russia and Norway.

In the first parallel session the main question is ‘Green taxis: sustainability equals profitability.’ Centre stage: speakers on electromobility, moderated by Ivo Cré, Deputy Director, POLIS. The second parallel session focuses on ‘Taxis, as key element of MaaS’. Here different speakers will be looking into the role of taxis in the new paradigm ‘Mobility as a Service’ (MaaS).

Not everything changes: just like last time Taxi Times and MobilityIntell support the IRU Taxi Forum as mediasponsors.

The full programme can be found here: https://www.iru.org/what-we-do/events/iru-international-taxi-forum-business-reception

Registration is necessary for both events: https://www.iru.org/apps/iforms-app?form_id=2473&lng=en&src=email

• IRU’s 7^th International Taxi Forum draws an international crowd to Cologne.