polisMOBILITY consolidates its position as the leading dialogue platform for the mobility transition

Focus on the stakeholders shaping urban mobility at the local authority level +++ 160 exhibitors and partners presented products and solutions +++ High-calibre conference programme with 200 speakers +++ Intense citizens’ dialogue at the polisMOBILITY camp

With its second edition, polisMOBILITY has established itself as an indispensable, interdisciplinary dialogue platform for the mobility transition and consolidated its position. The event – consisting of a triad of an expo, conference and camp – was hosted at the Koelnmesse trade fair grounds and in the heart of Cologne. This year’s edition focused firmly on the stakeholders shaping urban mobility at the local authority level. Around 160 exhibitors and partners at the polisMOBILITY expo presented existing and new, innovative mobility solutions. Together with the more than 200 experts attending the polisMOBILITY conference, they demonstrated how and with which measures municipalities and cities can develop into human-scale communities that meet mobility needs. In total, polisMOBILITY 2023 recorded roughly 17,000 visitors over the three days of the trade fair and at the subsequent events in Cologne’s city centre.

“polisMOBILITY has matured significantly in one year and become even more relevant. The clear focus on the stakeholders shaping the mobility transition at the local authority level has been significant in giving the event further crucial momentum. By providing a relevant dialogue platform, we have succeeded in fostering an exchange of ideas between decision makers in the public sector and solution providers. The event has thereby created sustainable impetus for the construction of an urban future that meets mobility needs,” says Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse. “And another crucial aspect emerged over the five intense days: The mobility transition is an intersectional issue and can succeed only through collaborative, cross-sector action. Many different measures can be sketched on the drawing board, but the citizens will play a decisive role in the implementation process. The polisMOBILITY camp clearly showed that awareness of the need for the mobility transition is becoming more and more deeply rooted in society.”

Centrally positioned in the exhibition area, the segment cities + regions – Cities learn from cities, regions learn from regions – provided a forum for an exchange of ideas with public decision makers. Municipal and local authority exhibitors also presented proven solutions and future concepts for realising the urban mobility of tomorrow. In his political keynote before the panel discussion “Team up for the transport transition! How do we achieve decarbonisation?”, Oliver Krischer, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, emphasised the importance of the transport transition for cities, local authorities and society: “We will systematically drive the mobility transition forward and promote numerous measures in order to reach our objectives as quickly as possible. Whether we live in a city or a rural community, we need a mobility that is climate-friendly and socially responsible in equal measure.”

The programme for the interdisciplinary polisMOBILITY conference also addressed issues linked to urban mobility. This included topics such as the last mile, strengthening local authorities’ capacity to act and the handling of mobility data in local authorities’ data economy. “We all want and have to be mobile, but mobility is not an end in itself,” says Professor Johannes Busmann, Managing Director of the publishing company Müller + Busmann GmbH & Co. KG and one of the event’s strategic partners who oversaw the curation of the content for the conference programme. “As an issue of public concern, the mobility of the future forms the foundation for the human-scale, sustainable development and design of cities and regions. Alongside technological innovations, this transformation requires a powerful infrastructure – something that can be provided on a sustainable basis only by working together with local authorities and the public sector – as well as attractive services that make people’s lives easier. Only when the public sector, the economy and civil society enter into a dialogue and a cooperation to reach this shared objective can such a complex endeavour be achieved. With polisMOBILITY, we are creating a forum for these conversations,” adds Professor Busmann.

The mobility transition at the local level needs visionary minds with creative ideas and the freedom to adopt new concepts and approaches. polisMOBILITY promoted the innovative spirit and inventive approaches that start-ups bring to the table with the startupHUB and the startupPITCH contest. In the final round, 17 young entrepreneurs presented their concepts or already developed products. A jury of distinguished experts assessed the entries to the contest. The prizes for the first startupPITCH went to me energy, ISTmobil GmbH and RheinSharing.

Delegates from the Association of German Cities (Deutscher Städtetag) gathered at polisMOBILITY for its general assembly. The association acted as polisMOBILITY’s patron again this year, and hosting its general assembly in parallel with the event offered many opportunities for representatives to explore the exhibition in depth. Delegations from Utrecht, the Rhineland Region and the interest group Women in Mobility were also represented in Cologne. In addition to the general assembly of the Association of German Cities, polisMOBILITY also hosted the co-located congress of the Working Committee for Pedestrian- and Bicycle-friendly Cities, Municipalities & Districts in North Rhine-Westphalia (AGFS) and the specialist conference Cargo Bike Sharing Europe. Exhibitors accordingly praised the high-quality profile of the audience and the conversations at the trade fair.

The polisMOBILITY camp in Cologne’s city centre at the weekend was also well attended thanks to the sunny weather. It brought together the protagonists who are responsible for the successful implementation of the mobility transition: local authorities and politicians, public service providers such as local public transport operators, mobility service providers and citizens. The area around Cologne’s Hohenzollernring was transformed into a forum for interaction, experiences, participation and dialogue on the mobility of the future. Under the banner of “Cologne is becoming more mobile. What about you?”, interested citizens had the opportunity to exchange ideas with mobility experts and to try out new mobility solutions for themselves on the test tracks. “It’s been three varied, exciting days during which many questions and challenges, but also many ideas and practical solutions have been on the table,” says Ascan Egerer, Deputy for Mobility of the City of Cologne, who is very satisfied with the event. “Our political mission was to organise an intense citizens’ dialogue, and we’ve fulfilled it completely.”

The next edition of polisMOBILITY will take place in May 2024.

Comments on polisMOBILITY 2023:

Dr Olga Nevska, Managing Director, Telekom MobilitySolutions
“Start-ups are a crucial source of impetus for the mobility transition. Their disruptive ideas are accelerating the implementation of innovative solutions in the best sense of the word. Serving on the jury for the startupPITCH has made clear to me yet again how much large companies like Deutsche Telekom can benefit from start-ups’ creativity. These young companies provide speed and creativity, while large companies have the power to launch ideas on the market. polisMOBILITY is the ideal event for bringing both sides together.”

Johannes Kirschner, Investment Manager, EIT Urban Mobility
“To shape the mobility transition in Europe quickly and efficiently, new, innovative and creative solutions are needed. We’ve met some of these pioneers at polisMOBILITY and were extremely impressed with the quality of the start-ups’ solutions and their motivation. We’re looking forward to working with some of the teams in the future and scaling together across Europe.”

Lena Rickenberg, iRights.Lab Project Leader for Emmett, a research project accompanying the mFUND programme
“polisMOBILITY was almost like a class reunion for us – as a research project accompanying the mFUND programme, we are often in contact with project representatives, both online and on the phone. We were finally able to meet many of them in person at the trade fair and advise even more potential applicants on the funding programme. It was incredibly valuable for our networking.”

Alexander Sohl, CEO, me energy
“polisMOBILITY is the ideal platform for start-ups. It’s an event where innovative mobility solutions and local authority stakeholders can find new paths towards the future of mobility.”

Linda Boll, Country Manager & Public Affairs Manager Germany, Fastned
“polisMOBILITY was Fastned’s first appearance at a trade fair in Germany. We had lively and productive discussions with interested and relevant contacts at the event. The trade fair gave us the ideal platform for communicating our concept for super-fast charging in the city to many local authorities.”