What Will a Virtual TRB Annual Meeting Be Like?

The 100th Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting will be one for the record books, in more ways than one. Perhaps most notably, it will be the first virtual iteration of what has become the largest annual event in transportation research, and one of the most well-known events in the transportation profession as a whole.

Those who have been to a TRB Annual Meeting know that the five-day conference is an immersive experience, packed to the brim with workshops, poster sessions, committee meetings, presentations, and receptions. After learning that TRB would be taken virtual in 2021 due to COVID-19, we at Kittelson have been curious what the attendee experience will be like, and we know we’re not alone. So we sat down with TRB’s Technical Activities Director Ann Brach and Senior Program Officer James Bryant to get a sneak peek of the 2021 Annual Meeting, learn how the various session types will be experienced virtually, and gather advice for both new and returning attendees.