Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood, Councillor Natasha Malani and CEO Peter Smith will be heading to Vienna next month for the world’s premier cycling planning conference, Velo-city Global 2013.

The group will join MP Michael O’Brien, Minister for Road Safety and CEO DPTI Rod Hook as well as Christian Haag from Bike SA to meet with key stakeholders and build anticipation for Adelaide’s turn to host Velo-city Global in May 2014.

“Velo-city is the world’s premier international cycling planning conference. It’s a huge honour for Adelaide to be given the right to host the forum next year,” Lord Mayor Stephen Yarwood said.

“We are going to Vienna showcase our great city to the rest of the world and also make valuable connections to attract delegates to Adelaide in 2014,” he said.

“It is also vital to see first-hand how the conference operates, get a full understanding of the work that goes on behind-the-scenes in preparing for the forum and to look at ways we can tailor the format to ensure Adelaide puts on the best Velo-city experience,” he added.

Stephen will be making a presentation on Adelaide as part of the ‘Mayors Summit,’ which will also be attended by other Delegates, Councillors and Mayor’s from around the world, including the Mayors of Vienna and Nantes, Vice Mayors of Stockholm and Prague and the Deputy Mayor of New York City.

“The invitation for me to speak shows great international interest in Adelaide and the strategies Council is putting in place to address transportation issues in response to increasing urban density,” Stephen said.

“It also puts Adelaide in the minds of industry experts and will be our chance to extract the best ideas and examples from other cities.”

The City of Adelaide will also host a booth at the Vienna Velo-city Expo.

“Adelaide Velo-city Global 2014 will be much more than just a conference. We are planning a range of community events, activities and programs during the conference and beyond so this will be the most effective way to let sponsors and delegates know what will be on offer,” Councillor Natasha Malani said.

“It will also be the first time the event will be held in the Southern hemisphere. We already know how great Adelaide is – while in Vienna we will ensure we market Adelaide as a premier tourist and conference destination to the rest of the world.” 

While in Europe Stephen has a range of meetings planned in London including meeting with the Cycling Commissioner for London and the Agent General, Bill Murihead. He, along with Councillor Malani, will report back to Council about findings from the visit. 

For further information and to receive regular updates on Adelaide Velo-city Global 2014 visit http://www.velo-city2014.com/