Publication Number: FHWA-SA-98-026
Date: October 1998

Transportation in the Information Age: Symposium Features Techniques for Improving Public Communications

Our country may run on planes, trains, and automobiles, but the public is often not fully aware of the work transportation agencies do to maintain roads and other facilities, increase safety, and make travel easier. How can those in the transportation field better communicate with their customers and increase awareness of transportation issues? To find out, make plans to attend "Getting Our Message Out: Elevating Public Awareness of Transportation Issues," a 2-day symposium scheduled for December 3-4, 1998, in Alexandria, Virginia.

The symposium is designed for marketing, community relations and public affairs staff, as well as those responsible for technology transfer. The general session will feature such topics as "New Ways of Thinking about Marketing and Communications," and "Who Is Our Public and What Are They Saying?" Participants will also be able to choose from a variety of more focused seminars on such subjects as "Building Transportation's Image," "Building Networks," "Public Involvement," and "Education." These seminars highlight recent examples of effective public communications strategies and campaigns in the transportation industry, including the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (DOT) 22-Renew Program and the national Try Transit Week.

In addition, workshops are scheduled on "How To Work with the News Media," "Basics of Planning a Public Involvement Campaign," and "How To Get Your Product to Market."

Symposium speakers will include David Winstead, Secretary of the Maryland DOT; Joe Toole, Director of the Office of Technology Applications at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA); and Tom Donahue of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The symposium is being sponsored by FHWA, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, American Public Transit Association, American Public Works Association, National Association of County Engineers, and U.S. Department of Transportation, among others.

For more information or to register, contact Andrea Vincent at 301-650-5700 (fax: 301-650-5717; Web: www.hend.com/pasymposium). Hotel accommodations are available at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia. To make a reservation, contact the hotel directly at 703-845-1010 (toll free: 800-333-3333).

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