Bringing the industry together again

SABOA is recognised as the voice of the bus and coach industry. The annual SABOA Conference, Dinner, and Exhibition are hallmark events steeped in tradition. They also serve to showcase industry offerings whilst positioning critical issues at play within the industry, as BAZIL GOVENDER explains.

The SABOA Conference has always been billed as one of the country’s most important events for bus passenger public transport. Delivered from a bus and coach perspective, the Conference always places great emphasis on solutions to improve public transport.

This year is no different, but nevertheless comes with added importance and value, after the 2020 and 2021 events were put on hold due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over the last two years, the industry has been severely impacted by the pandemic. Critically, this has compounded the stress the industry has been under for the last two decades. Passenger trends have been disrupted, whilst the industry supply chain has been challenged like never before. This has necessitated a transition within the sector towards deeper cuts for efficiency improvements, as well as a gravitation towards more digital solutions for sustainability.

The 2022 event is entitled Bringing the Industry together again, and will allow all bus transport sector stakeholders to network, socialise, and reconnect. Attendees will also be able to debate and deliberate on the core issues facing the industry, while contributing to being part of the solution for industry transformation and sustainability.

EVENT OVERVIEW

With renewed vigour and a slightly changed format, the 2022 SABOA Conference, Dinner, and Exhibition are back. They will be held in collaboration with Futuroad and alongside Automechanika. Highlights of the Exhibition, which runs from 7 to 10 June 2022, are the gala dinner on the evening of 8 June and a one-day conference the following day.

The key themes that will be dealt with at the conference cover a macro-economic overview, public transport funding, the electric mobility landscape, cross-border transport, and a high-level focus on road safety and violence avoidance.

The SABOA conference may be headlined by the Minister of Transport, Fikile Mbalula, but also boasts speakers from Standard Bank, uYilo, RTIA, JC Auditors, SAPS, C-BRTA, and SABOA.

Amongst other exciting opportunities for registered delegates is full access to the Futuroad and Automechanika Expo. There will also be a first time offering in the form of an exciting venture being introduced with Standard Bank: The Lions’ Den environment, themed as “SABOA Connect powered by Standard Bank”.

All the events require registration, and this can be done via www.saboa.co.za, www.transportsig.co.za, www.futuroad.co.za, or www.automechanikasa.co.za.

Exhibition: Various options and booth sizes exist for exhibiting to a local and international market.

SABOA Dinner: Attendance is capped at 150 guests.

SABOA Conference: Hybrid format, accommodating 150 delegates at the venue and streaming a live online simulcast.

Now is your chance to join others at first-class events where the seeds of bus industry discourse will be replanted. From these seeds will grow the bus industry’s ongoing participation and contribution towards shaping the future of public transport – from a bus industry perspective.

SABOA places on record its sincerest thanks to all partners who are participating and sponsoring parts of the events, and especially to Automechanika and Futuroad for the collaborative support in creating this platform for the bus and coach industry.

Finally, a special word of thanks to Charleen Clarke and the team at FOCUS for the support and alliance they have provided in getting the voice of the bus and coach industry out to the market via the magazine.