Ghent is host city for international cycling conference Velo-city in 2024
In june 2024 Ghent will host the international cycling conference Velo-city.
The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) has chosen the city based on ‘its impressive commitment to cycling’. Velo-city attracts over 1,400 delegates from more than 60 countries.
The cycling conference Velo-city, ECF’s annual flagship event, is the world’s leading knowledge-exchange platform for cities, decisionmakers, academics and industry leaders to meet and share knowledge and ideas that shape the future of cycling.
The conference was organised for the first time in 1980 and visits a different metropolis every year, from Rio de Janeiro to Tapei. This year the event will be held in Ljubljana, next year in Leipzig and in june 2024 it will be Ghent’s turn.
Ghent will be the first Belgian city to host the conference since Brussels in 2009. The event will bring together business, government, research and education under the theme ‘Connecting Through Cycling.” More than 1,400 delegates from over 60 countries are expected to attend and more than 250 speakers.
It is an incredible honour to be able to organise this bicycle event. Velo-city is not just a conference, it is a statement. The people of Ghent can be very proud about this. Velo-city 2024 is also the perfect opportunity to highlight our recent successes in the field of bicycle mobility.
This is a good example of congress tourism with added value for Ghent. This congress is good for our tourism sector, interesting for our policymakers, strengthens the city's image and is a reward for all Ghent cyclists.
Ghent is a remarkable cycling city that has shown an impressive commitment to cycling over the last decade, implementing progressive policies and innovative measures that have transformed its urban space and resulted in significantly more people using bikes as their go-to mode of transport. Based on their outstanding application, Velo-city 2024 is undoubtedly going to be a momentous and unforgettable occasion for the global cycling community, and one which we are already looking forward to.
The exact locations and dates for Velo-city 2024 will be announced later. The conference will be jointly organised by ECF, the Government of Flanders, the Province of East-Flanders, Mobility East-Flanders, the City Council of Ghent, Courtrai and Deinze, the Official Convention Bureau Ghent Congres, Fietsersbond, the Cycling Embassy of Ghent and Fietsberaad Vlaanderen.