The 2011 APTA Annual Meeting, convening Oct. 2-5 in New Orleans in conjunction with the International Public Transportation EXPO, will unite the public transportation community and give industry professionals an unparalleled opportunity to enhance their knowledge and exchange information on best practices, research, and new trends in public transit. The Annual Meeting theme is “Public Transportation Takes Us There.”

The meeting schedule provides more educational offerings in public transportation than any other APTA event. Participants will have an opportunity to attend cutting-edge concurrent sessions and forums geared toward preparing the industry for the future, industry priorities, and business practices of individuals and organizations. These programs—as well as technical tours and other learning and networking activities—will address an array of policy, management, and operations topics designed to complement the transit innovations highlighted at EXPO 2011.

The preliminary list of educational and networking topics includes:

Sustainability: Greenhouse Gas Reduction, Green Practices.

Policy and Planning: Innovative Financing, Public-Private Partnerships, Intermodal Transportation, New Starts/Small Starts, High-Speed Rail, Federal Surface Transportation Authorization.

Safety and Security: Safety Roundtable, Security and Transit Funding, Transit Emergency Management.

Technology: Policy Issues in Technology, Alternative Fuels, Intelligent Transportation Systems Applications, Technology Strategies, Management/Operations, APTA Standards, Procurement, Bus Rapid Transit, Operations Planning.

Workforce Development: Labor/Management Relations, Risk Management.

Marketing, Communications, and Advocacy: Transit Advertising, Grassroots Advocacy; Customer Service Initiatives.

Accessible Transportation/Mobility Services for All: Mobility Management, Paratransit Operations, Accessibility.

APTA also will hold its Bus Technical, Maintenance, and Procurement Workshop Oct. 3-5 in New Orleans during the Annual Meeting and EXPO. This year’s workshop focuses on new technology and best practices in maintenance and procurement for transit bus maintenance and procurement and materials management professionals. This workshop has a separate registration fee.

More information on the Annual Meeting and EXPO is available online. Please note that Expovision is the only company officially sanctioned and certified by APTA to book hotel rooms on behalf of its exhibitors and attendees.