DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
MAKING THE SMART MOVES
DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
BUILDING THE CITIES OF THE FUTURE Representatives from the FIA Mobility Member Clubs met yesterday for the final World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism of 2018.
The World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism marked the mid-point in a week of key discussions at the FIA Annual General Assembly in Saint Petersburg. The meeting opened with an address by FIA President Jean Todt, who focused on the growing synergies between the two pillars of the FIA – Mobility and Sport. “I believe this is happening, and that it is very important that we continue to develop further,” he said. “FIA Smart Cities is a programme that encapsulates this work to create synergies. It is something we want to develop, and I consider that it is the responsibility of our organisation to make cities smarter.” The hugely successful FIA Smart Cities initiative, which concluded its second season of activities this year, was also high on the World Council agenda. Building on the achievements of the 2018 programme, it was confirmed during the meeting that this initiative is to continue in 2019, in cooperation with FIA Members. Events are planned for Mexico City (February), Hong Kong (March), and Rome (April), utilising the ever-growing platform of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. For the coming programme, FIA Smart Cities has partnered with MassChallenge, a global start-up incubator, to deliver on the FIA Smart Cities Global Start-Up Contest. The contest works to identify and support companies operating within the smart city ecosystem, and will help drive the development of safe and sustainable technologies. The Council was also informed that for 2019, both the FIA Mobility Conference and FIA Sport Conference will be held together in South Africa at the kind invitation of the Automobile Association of South Africa (AASA) and with the support of Motorsport South Africa (MSA). This event, taking place in conjunction with the FIA Region I Spring Meeting and FIA Sport Regional Congress from 29 April to 3 May, is the first of its kind in the history of the FIA.
President Todt added: “Next year we will host the Mobility and Sport Conference weeks together at the same location in South Africa, again in an effort to create new synergies between all of our Member Organisations.” FIA Deputy President for Automobile Mobility and Tourism Thierry Willemarck, who chaired the meeting, also pointed to the need to encourage original thinking in order to strengthen Member Clubs, in particular referencing recently established FIA Innovation Fund. “A strategic priority moving forward is to see what we can do to encourage the development of stronger Clubs,” he said. “We must be bold in our innovation initiative. We must filter ideas from individual Clubs to develop a broader legacy for the wider community. Clubs need to take action on the conclusion of the Vision 2030 report. A key challenge we must address is how to best ensure that Clubs have access to knowledge that is relevant.” Elsewhere, one of the key outcomes of the meeting was the Council’s approval of the creation of an annual road safety awards programme that will serve to acknowledge the important work carried out by individuals and organisations that have made a proven positive impact on the issue, reducing the loss of lives, as well as limiting global road traffic injuries. It is hoped that the FIA Road Safety Awards will also serve to further bring together the FIA Community in its shared goal to improve safety on the world’s roads, and incentivise more action to be taken to save lives. A maximum of five awards, as well as a special mention, may be awarded annually as part of the programme. The Council also heard from the President of the FIA Manufacturer’s Commission, François Fillon, who presented the Commission’s annual report with increased collaboration planned between the Commission and representatives from the FIA Mobility Clubs.
DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
REGION I OUTLINES BROAD RANGE OF 2019 TARGETS Region I today outlined its 2019 goals prioritising strengthened leadership on mobility trends, wider advocacy on a range of issues affecting motorists, and further efforts to help Clubs maintain existing members and grow in the future.
Region I Director General Laurianne Krid first pointed to the Region continuing to provide leadership on mobility issues, first through the development of a new start-up challenge that aims to connect Clubs with the region’s most innovative young companies in order to stay ahead of the technology curve. The region will also seek to forge closer contacts with key member of the MaaS Alliance, the public-private partnership looking to unlock the economies of scale necessary for the successful implementation of Mobility as a Service. The Region also set a target of attendance at five major mobility events during the year. In the sphere of advocacy, the Region is aiming to focus on promoting research around the life cycle assessment of vehicles, a topic the meeting would later come back to, as well as further road safety activity and lobbying on motoring issues ahead of European parliamentary elections in May of next year. The Region I Director General next highlighted the Region’s commitment to membership gain and retention among Member Clubs by targeting increased activity in the digital domain via boosting Clubs’ online presence, blog posts and showcasing best marketing practices. In order to consolidate the membership base the region will also focus on the development of Region I as an innovation hub, the modernisation of longstanding programmes and the continued pursuit of the roll-out of the Green NCAP initiative. Finally, in addition to seeking the realisation of projects developed by the ACTA sub-region, Ms Krid said that Region I
will submit at least one project to the recently established FIA Innovation Fund, “which will likely focus on data gathering, in particular parking activity.” The presentation of its 2019 goals was followed by a presentation of the Region’s communication strategy from Region Coordinator Gabriel Simcic. He said that with regards to internal communication the region would seek to be a source of content for Clubs and would continue to facilitate the exchange of knowledge of communication and innovation. Externally, he said the region will promote the delivery of replicable digital content, largely around key calendar dates such as the UN Road Safety Week, the publication of EuroNCAP results and the European elections. He also pointed to the problem of distraction being a chief campaign issue for the region in 2019. Delegates were then given a presentation on the Assessment of the Life Cycle of Vehicles, based on work undertaken by the ÖAMTC and Austrian consultants Joanneum Research. The work focused on what is known as ‘cradle-to-grave’ analysis of the energy involved in manufacturing, operating and disposing of a variety of transport systems including electric, hydrogen and fossil fuel-powered vehicles, including petrol, diesel, and a variety of bio-diesel-fuelled vehicles. The result is a series of fact sheets detailing the environmental performance of each transport type.
DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
REGION II TO PROMOTE RECIPROCAL BENEFITS TO ASSIST EMERGING CLUBS Region II Clubs agreed to promote more effective communication of cross-border membership benefits, following requests from emerging Clubs.
Speaking at this morning’s meeting in St Petersburg, Greig Craft of Associate Member Club the Automobile Association of Vietnam, raised the issue of reciprocal agreements among Clubs as a means of recently established Clubs attracting new membership. “I think tourism offers great opportunities in our region, and that ties in with reciprocity between Clubs,” he said. “However, I’ve heard very little form other regions and there may be a missing link that we could improve to make sure that there is better communication, not just within Region II, but among all the Regions around the world. I would love to hear some ideas on developing a reciprocity toolkit and what we might do to improve tourism opportunities.” Agreeing, FIA Senate President and New Zealand Automobile Association CEO Brian Gibbons said: “Greig’s is a new Club that needs to grow membership but needs to build on a foundation and the obvious incentive he can offer is tourism benefits. You can spell out to a potential customer that one of the benefits of becoming a member of AA Vietnam is that if you travel to New Zealand for example, you’ll get free breakdown service and discounts on fuel, but a lot of Clubs don’t know those benefits exist. I think it’s vital for an emerging Club to have this kind of resource. To start off you don’t have some of the sophisticated services large Clubs have, but you do have the ability to tap into the FIA Family and that should be a priority.” The meeting was informed that a survey of Clubs had been conducted and a reciprocity booklet detailing benefits available around the world to Club members was published but that the edition was now two years old.
The meeting agreed to include the promotion of reciprocity between Clubs in its business plan for 2018-2020, which was also presented in draft form at the meeting, as part of a communication workshop to be held in the Region in 2019, and as part of the development of a knowledge hub within the Region. The meeting also featured detailed discussion around the funding of overseas programmes delegates from the Region attend, including its regular round table meeting. Delegates agreed to seek sponsorship to defray costs associated with maintaining its programme work but also to explore the option of introducing a registration fee for participation in certain events. Elsewhere, delegates were also informed on the progress of the FIA’s work on updating IDPs which revealed that the Federation’s promoted model of national licences in association with an updated IDP featuring enhanced security features has found support at UN level and that the FIA is now seeking feedback on the optimal format for an improved, modernised IDP.
DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
FIA UNIVERSITY BOARD MEETING The FIA University Board met yesterday morning to review the activities undertaken in 2018 and plan for the key areas for development over the coming year.
Three FIA University Programmes have taken place since the FIA Mobility Conference in Uruguay in July, and each was reviewed by the Board Members in the opening part of yesterday’s meeting.
The second part of the meeting looked at the potential action points to be taken forward for the coming year, based around the strategic goals set out for the FIA University Programme.
These comprised the fourth edition of the Region IV Latin American Leaders Programme, which took place in August in Miami, the fifth edition of the Region II Club Development Programme held in October in Perth, and the Senior Executive Programme, which held its second meeting in New York, also in October.
Ways in which FIA University Alumni can take part in FIA events were considered, with projects relating to improving the data collection and processing practices identified as a crucial area for resource investment.
After these reviews, the Board approved the schedule of programmes for 2019, with four planned to take place across the four regions of the FIA. Throughout these discussions, the Board considered the ways in which common themes can be applied across the global landscape of the FIA, and the key area of focus was on the legacy of the programmes. FIA Deputy President for Automobile Mobility and Tourism, Thierry Willemarck said, “This year’s events were the opportunity to capture valuable feedback and data for the FIA. There is great diversity, but to make the Programme more valuable to Members, we should consider having clusters based on size and level of development of the Clubs, while remaining open to Clubs of all levels to come and learn from one another.”
One of the key decisions taken was in relation to the development of E-Learning Programmes, with the aim of offering FIA delegates the opportunity to take part in a pre-existing online course, in which they will be able to interact with participants from around the world. The preferred option was to pursue business-themed ‘massive online open courses’ from over 70 top universities around the world on the Coursera platform, rather than focus on a single course from one institution. This platform allows for greater customisation of courses, language options and branding opportunities. This will be considered further before the next meeting of the FIA University Board in March 2019.
DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
ASN DEVELOPMENT TASK FORCE HIGHLIGHTS 2019 INITIATIVES Yesterday’s meeting of the FIA ASN Development Task Force reflected on the training and motor sport development initiatives of 2018, and highlighted a full calendar of activities and targets during the coming 12 months.
Following the recent FIA Sport Regional Congress NEZ in Riga in October, the gathering of Members from the CEZ Region in Slovenia on 13-15 December completes the 2018 calendar of events. In Ljubljana almost 60 delegates from 15 countries within the zone are expected, with programme topics including sessions on the Standard Requirements for Drivers’ Training and Licensing, Creating a Safety Culture and the Management and Development of Officials. The focal point of the 2019 programme will be the FIA Conference, to be held in Sun City, South Africa from 29 April-3 May. The 2019 Global Training Programme will get underway in February with an FIA Seminar for Race Directors (7 Feb) and International Stewards (8-10 Feb). The RTP Train the Trainer Seminar for Circuit Officials will also be held in the spring, with the RTP rollout commencing in Q3. The Rally/Hill Climb Marshals programme will be delivered by the RTP network via regional Train the Trainer sessions, while pilot FIA Regional Seminars for Race Directors, Stewards and Clerks of the Course will commence in Asia Pacific, delivered by FIA and regional experts. Within the context of Motor Sport Development, the meeting explained that Gymkhana will be presented to the WMSC as
a new grassroots discipline. For ASNs, new GTP modules will be introduced in 2019, such as the assessment of an economic and social impact study, communications and media, and insurance. The FIA Marketing Department showcased several new initiatives introduced in 2018: the FIA Smart Driving Challenge, the Stewarding of esports Events and the new FIA Webstore project to be launched this week here at the Annual General Assembly. All of these projects will be presented during the ASN Forum planned on Thursday afternoon.
DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
AGA 2018 - DAY 2
DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
A FEAST OF HISTORY Members of the FIA World Council for Automobile Mobility and Tourism, the FIA World Motor Sport Council and the FIA Senate enjoyed an extra special evening and dinner at the Yusupov Palace. Entertainment included opera singers, a jazz quartet and the famous local pianist and honoured artist of the Russian Federation, Sergey Petrovich Forostiany. Guests were also invited to enjoy special tours of the building, including the ‘Rasputin’s Murder’ exhibition, as the palace was the site of the now legendary assassination which took place in 1916.
DAILY NEWSLETTER #2 WEDNESDAY 05.12.18
FIA.COM
TWITTER.COM/FIA
FACEBOOK.COM/FIA
INSTAGRAM.COM/FIA.OFFICIAL