At the end of June, Cristophe Najdovski, President of the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) announced at the Dublin’s Velo-City 2019, the global cycling summit, that the Velo-City 2020 conference will be held in Ljubljana and its GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre between the 2nd ant 5th of June next year. The theme of the 2020 event will be Smart Cycling Inclusion. The Velo-City conference is the world’s largest conference in the area of cycling, cycling infrastructure, bicycle innovations, bicycle safety, and the social and cultural changes driven by cycling on a global scale.
Velo-city 2020 Ljubljana will aim to share with the interested public the high-quality information on cycling, showcase global best practices, integrate cycling into relevant policy sectors and encourage the greater use of cycling. It will gather academic experts, decision makers, local, regional and national governments, international institutions, civil society organisations and local cycling associations to network and exchange ideas from the cycling world. In the time of the conference, the World Bicycle Day will take place on the 3rd of June 2020 which will include the day of the bike parade.
Marcio Deslandes, ECF Velo-city Series and Global Policies Director said that Ljubljana was chosen as “it has a lot to teach about shared space and making cities more livable and inclusive.” While Mayor of Ljubljana Zoran Janković, when the news was announced, noted: “I am pleased that Ljubljana, the European Green Capital 2016, which is committed to sustainable development, is hosting such an important bicycle conference. We are proud that international experts have recognized our progress in the field of cycling, and that the European Cyclists’ Federation has entrusted us with the organization of this meeting, where we will highlight the latest activities, guidelines and measures in the field of bicycling in the cities.”
The Velo-City conference is the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) annual global cycling summit organized by the ECF and selected host cities. The conferences also attract those involved in the areas of technology, health, behavioural change, urban and infrastructure policies, mobility and in transport generally. The conferences are held in Europe every second year and then in the alternative years it rotates to different continents. Held for the first time in 1980 in Bremen, the conference has seen participation increase steadily and attracts extensive global media interest.In 2020 it will take place in GR – Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Centre which has a rich 65 years old tradition of hosting some of the most important events held in Slovenia and its capital.
