Beyond the main stage: Check the side events at the Annual POLIS Conference 2026
Before the Annual POLIS Conference officially begins, a series of side events will bring together mobility experts from across Europe to explore smart cycling, tourism mobility, automated transport. and electric carsharing. Discover the workshops, exchanges, and networking opportunities on 30 November and 1 December in Brussels and Ghent.
This year's side events focus on several key themes that are increasingly important for cities and regions across Europe:
- Digitalisation and data-driven mobility management
- Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP)
- Inclusive and accessible mobility solutions
- Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM)
- Workforce transformation and skills development
- Shared and electric mobility
- Cross-sector collaboration and governance
Whether you're looking to exchange knowledge with peers, explore emerging policy developments, or gain practical implementation insights, the side events offer a valuable opportunity to engage with experts and practitioners before the conference officially begins.
STEER-NWE International Exchange Event
📅 30 November-1 December 2026 |📍 Way to Go offices, Ghent and The EGG, Brussels
Electric carsharing plays an increasingly important role in reducing car dependency, supporting electrification, and expanding sustainable mobility options. The STEER-Academy event brings together practitioners across North-West Europe for two days of discussion, site visits, and knowledge exchange focused on electric carsharing.
Designed for mobility professionals already working in the field, the event will explore:
- Electrification of carsharing fleets
- Business models and user experience
- Data and digital tools
- Inclusion and communication strategies
- Shared mobility in housing developments
- Lessons learned from implementation across Europe
Participants will also have the opportunity to visit a Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) pilot in Ghent and learn more about e-carsharing initiatives linked to social housing in Brussels.
Learn more about the event here
ReSKILLING Event: Co-creating Society-First and Workforce-Ready Pathways for CCAM
📅 1 December 2026 |🕒 09:00-12:00 CET |📍 UITP Head Office, Brussels
As Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility (CCAM) moves from pilot projects to real-world deployment, cities and regions face important questions about governance, workforce impacts and public value.
The core of the workshop will be a World Café exercise, bringing participants together around three interconnected themes:
- Shaping CCAM for societal benefit
- Workforce transformation, reskilling and future skills needs
- New CCAM opportunities and business models
By the end of the workshop, participants will work together to identify concrete actions that can support more inclusive, workforce-ready and locally responsive approaches to automated mobility deployment.
Learn more about the event here
Active Travel & Health x Smart Mobility & Traffic Systems Meeting: Advancing smart cycling
📅 1 December 2026 |🕒 09:00-12:00 CET |📍The EGG, Brussels
The Active Travel & Health and Smart Mobility & Traffic Systems working groups will host an in-person meeting for POLIS members dedicated to advancing smart cycling and its integration into wider mobility management systems.
As cities increasingly use data, digital services, connected infrastructure, and intelligent traffic management tools to support cycling, the discussion will explore what it truly means to make cycling 'smart'. Beyond individual technologies, participants will examine how digital solutions can support broader sustainable mobility objectives while improving safety, comfort, and accessibility for cyclists.
Building on conversations from the Smart Cycling Roundtable held in Enschede earlier this year, the meeting will explore:
- The role of cycling data in infrastructure planning and traffic management
- Integration between digital solutions and physical cycling infrastructure
- Governance and organisational requirements for implementation
- Inclusivity, digital literacy and equitable access to smart mobility services
Through presentations and interactive discussion, participants will identify challenges, share experiences and help shape future POLIS activities on smart cycling, including potential collaboration with students from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel's MSc in Urban Studies programme.
Capitals x Urban Nodes Meeting: SUMP guidelines 3.0 x Tourism Strategy 1.0
📅 1 December 2026 |🕒 09:00-12:00 CET |📍The EGG, Brussels
Tourism continues to create both opportunities and challenges for cities across Europe, particularly when it comes to transport planning. The Capitals and Urban Nodes working groups have organised this in-person event for POLIS members to explore how Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) can help cities better manage mobility for both residents and visitors.
Drawing on the work of the Expert Group on Urban Mobility and ongoing discussions around tourism mobility governance, the event will examine how mobility planning can support attractive destinations while preserving liveability for local communities.
Participants will discuss the European Tourism Strategy, tourism integration into SUMPs, and SUMP 3.0, among other topics, offering valuable opportunities for cities and regions to exchange experiences and identify solutions for creating more sustainable and integrated mobility systems.
POLIS General Assembly
📅 1 December 2026 |🕒 12.00–18:30 CET |📍The EGG, Brussels
The in-person General Assembly brings POLIS members together to review and discuss the network's activities and priorities. Members will review the Annual Activity Report, discuss and approve the work plan and budget for the coming year, and vote on internal decision-making processes. The programme will also include thematic break-out sessions, providing an opportunity for members to exchange experiences and discuss key developments in sustainable urban mobility.
More than a warm-up for the Conference
While these events take place before the official opening of the POLIS26 Conference, they provide dedicated spaces for focused discussion, practical learning and collaboration on some of the most important mobility challenges facing cities today.
From smart cycling and tourism mobility planning to automated transport and shared electric mobility, the side events offer attendees an opportunity to engage with specialist communities, exchange experiences and help shape the conversations that will continue throughout the Annual POLIS Conference 2026.
Learn more about the Annual POLIS Conference here
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