think one of the unique things is the way they set their gen- eral sessions,” Horch said. “They spent a lot of time in general session, with a large number of people at the main stage discussing a lot of their topics. Their breakout sessions were very well attended also, but the general sessions were where they did an awful lot of business.” UIC Highspeed 2012 also featured the world’s largest
trade exhibition dedicated to high-speed-rail equipment, infrastructure products, and services. More than 80 exhibi- tors from 12 different countries participated; UIC estimated that the entire show drew nearly 3,000 visitors. The show floor itself spanned nearly 25,000 square feet, with exhibi- tions from a variety of companies. For example, Alstom Transport, a major U.S. and worldwide rail supplier, set up models of trains such as the Euroduplex, a double-decker train that has been operating on the Rhine-Rhône line in France since December 2011. There were also exhibitions featuring full-scale train interiors, technology demonstra- tions, and multimedia presentations, including one by the Japan California High Speed Rail Consortium that required 3-D glasses. “I give a lot of credit to the show’s decorator, Freeman,”
Horch said, “and also to UIC and APTA. I think over 80 per- cent of the [exhibitors] were international trade-show folks.
… In that sense, more international than we’ve ever seen on the show floor.” In addition to the events that took place inside the Penn-
sylvania Convention Center, Highspeed 2012 featured a series of site and technical tours, including trips to Amtrak’s Sunnyside Yard in Queens, N.Y., and to Wilmington Station in Delaware, which was built in 1907 by the Pennsylvania Rail- road. Some attendees also visited the Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority’s (SEPTA) operations control center in Philadelphia, which dispatches all modes of public transportation in the area. “Philadelphia was a phenomenal host,” Gallagher said,
“and I was just so proud of everything that the CVB and the local transit agency [SEPTA], which is a member of APTA, and Amtrak — everything that everyone in that city did to make Philadelphia shine for international guests.”
. Katie Kervin is an assistant editor of Convene. +
ON THE WEB For more information about UIC Highspeed 2012, visit uic-highspeed2012.com.