Smart City Hubs // 25th May 2012 at Excel, London

Introduction

Railway hubs are still at the heart of this year’s conference based at London’s ExCeL. But this year what interests FOSD is how integrated they are within their geographical location and the other transport modes. We would like to explore how all hubs can work closer together with shared information systems, better facilities and a more seamless passenger experience.

The morning of the conference will concentrate on hub design, passenger flow, retail and support management. This year, with the guidance and direction of Atos and our other steering committee members from First Group, Crossrail, SSP, RailMedia and Atkins we will be looking at a wide range of services and procedures that enhance journey satisfaction.

FOSD want to explore the fact that all hubs can have a major impact on the towns and cities that they serve, often acting as regional gateways, helping to stimulate economic growth and attract businesses. We would like to illustrate that any investment can act as a catalyst to broader development.

Ethos

FOSD pride ourselves on a participative and informal conference that allows stimulating discussion on the presentations in a relaxed environment.  We draw broader perspectives than other station and railway conferences recognising their multiple perspectives and roles.  We also believe that the conference and debate doesn’t end at the end of the day – we provide networking opportunities through the year for you to meet and engage with others. We remain a conduit for debate on all aspects of design, management, retail, and construction. This year the conference has a broader remit that draws on a more multi modal theme. These event enhancements are a response to the increased appetite for greater connectivity with transport operators. In short our initial aim of creating a better passenger experience now extends to their ongoing journey.

Audience

FOSD now in its third year has attracted companies from across:  Design, Management, Retail and Construction. Previous companies that have attended the majority at director level: Achilles, ACO Construction, Adeo, AMT Coffee,  Alsop RMJM, Arriva Trains, Arup, Atkins, ATOC, Atos, Birmingham Council, Birmingham University,  BPR Architects, Brighton and Hove Council, British Pre-cast, Cafe Nero, Chiltern Railways, Crossrail, Drivers Jonas Deloite, East Coast, East Midlands Trains, Elior, Essex Council, First Capital Connect, First Co, First Group, Grice Collins Long, Hammersmith and Fulham Council, Heathrow Express, John McAslan + Partner, London Underground, LB Redbridge, Manchester Council, Marks and Spencer’s, Mersey Rail, Merson Signs, Meton Government, Mott McDonolad, National Express East Angila, Newcastle Council, Network Rail, Pascals, Pontis, Pret a Manger, Rail Alliance, Robinson Low Francais,  Redbridge Council, Sainsburys, SNCF, Southern, South Eastern Trains, South West Trains, SSP, Subway, telent, Travel Point Trading, Torrent Trackside, TfL, Vinci Construction, UKTI, Virgin Rail, Wetherspoons, WHSmiths

The productivity benefit associated with increased development around hubs enabled by station investment can exceed those benefits estimated by traditional transport appraisal techniques by 5 to 7 times. We will cite examples such as :

Investment in Sheffield Station and the surrounding area contributed to a 67% increase in the rateable value of property within 400 metres of the stations between 2003 and 2008 – three times the average increase for Sheffield over the same time period.

We will also draw on the recently published facts that investment in Manchester Piccadilly hub has similarly helped to create 650,000 square feet of new and refurbished office space and to increase property values by some 33%.

It would appear that the more we develop hubs the more develops!

• Key themes for this year’s conference and workshops

  •             Hubs in the UK as Global Gateways

  •             City Centre Hubs

  •             Community and Rural Hubs

  •             Where next?

• Delegate information

  The delegate fee includes a place at the conference, beverages, lunch and delegates pack. Further the conference will deliver a great opportunity for networking with heads of the industry.

   

   

  Early bird delegate fee: £250 + VAT (£50) = £300 

  

  Full Price (from 10th April 2012): £325 + VAT (£65) = £390 

  

• About the Conference

  Key topics to be tackled within Smart
  Cities, Clever Towns workshops:

  • Way-finding and  Passenger flow
  “A question of congestion”

  • Maintaining a safe environment
  “Greener, lean, mean and less clean”

  • Planning and Design
  “Building opinions”

  • Retail development
  “Attention to retail and hub food”

  • Integration and the multimodal journey
  “On air, on sea on land and on line”

  Each workshop will feature
  questions on the FOSD debate:

  The Thames Hub vs Existing infrastructure
  HS2: Brilliant or Bonkers

  Speakers and workshops will look at issues such as the Olympic transport infrastructure legacy and the beautiful burden of HS2. The greening of UK Ports and their connectivity with other modes  and The Thames Hub debate will both feature in key workshops supported by key industry figures. Our aim is to create a conference that looks at the integration of multi modal transport hubs and the challenges they all face in modern cities and towns.