UITP is an association founded in 1885 that represents public transport organizations worldwide. It has over 3,400 members in 94 countries. The document discusses how the world is changing and associations must change with it. Members now have less time to dedicate to associations and expect more value. UITP is focusing on customer-oriented tools, workshops over conferences, advocacy, and knowledge sharing to better serve time-strapped members. While technology offers opportunities, associations provide benefits like representation, knowledge exchange, and networking that individual organizations cannot achieve alone.

1. The added value of
Associations in a
fast changing and
connected World
Alain Flausch
Secretary
General
UITP
Brussels
1

2. UITP as a global association
• Founded in 1885,
• More than 3400 direct members worldwide (94
countries), public and private,
• Main offices in Brussels, some 100 staff
members, 11 regional and liaison offices around
the World,
• Vision: the benchmark for collective transport,
• Missions: advocacy, knowledge center and
network for the Public Transport community

3. One main office in Brussels
11 liaison and regional offices worldwide

4. UITP as a global association
• World Exhibition and Congress every 2 years
• Specialized and regional exhibitions ,
• 2 Centers of Transport Excellence
• International and regional conferences,
• Workshops and seminars,
• Studies and publications of all kind,
• Trainings,
• Data and statistics,
• Public affairs and policies,
• Peer reviews & Benchmarking.

5. • Members used to have time in their mother
organizations to reserve some time for their
associations work,
• Members did not have to be so accountable
for their time and expenses,
• Travelling and meeting fellow members was
not an issue and being a regular member of a
« club » of old and nice gentlemen was
normal
The World is changing: why would
Associations be saved from that?

6. Diagnose
• Our international gatherings which are mostly made of top-
down academic lectures are no longer as successful as they
used to be in terms of attendance;
• Our members do no longer have the time to work for their
association. Attending meetings from time to time is
frequently the most they can do!
• Our members behave like consumers: they wish to grab
what you give them, but are no longer ready to coproduce
output with you.
Value for their due is becoming a leitmotive !

7. Changing UITP modus operandi
• Designing together with the most active
members a long terme ambitious strategy for
the 15 years to come: PTX2 or doubling the
market share of PT by 2025,
• Aligning the Association work and output on
that strategy,
• Reviewing the products portfolio,
• Revisiting the Association organization with a
view to provide more value for all the members!

8. A new modus operandi
• Less academic international conferences,
• More workshops and seminars open to members &
non-members and dedicated to concrete issues,
• A strong development of customer-oriented tools
allowing members to access the Association
electronic library,
• Less travels and more telcos & electronic work
connections and collaborative platforms,
• A vast world-wide advocacy program based on a
strong statistics and data basis.
• Engaging in social medias and tools like My UITP

9. What Associations can bring?
On the advocacy level
 Representing the sector general interest v/
individual interests
 Thereby « appearing « as neutral and
legitimate,
 Building coalitions with others,
 Speaking to the World media,
 Developping tools and arguments few members
have the capacity to elaborate.

10. What Associations can bring?
On the knowledge level:
• The question may be raised for large
international groups but remember that public
transport is always a local-centric business…
• For SME, the exchange of good practices and
know-how of others is some sort of a cheap
and easy consultancy,
• New ideas and concepts are easy available for
all.

11. What Associations can bring?
On the Knowledge level (2)
• Internet search is of course fantastic and limitless
but cannot compete with the efficiency and quality
of a dedicated electronic library where data and
information have been stored and organized for
long by a knowledgeable staff (Acting as the filter
of the sector)
• Large research projects developped by consortia of
members and funded by third parties (EU funding)

12. What Associations can bring
On the networking level:
• Being connected with colleagues through electronic
devices, however fruitful and efficient it may be,
shall never replace the value of an eye-to-eye
contact during Associations gatherings
• Being able, when you are faced, with a problem to
get in touch with colleagues around the world who
are or may be facing the same issue is a huge
asset for people who are basically local!

13. Conclusions
In most businesses but probably particularly
when your business is very local-centric,
International Associations
should be invented if they
did not exist !!!