Now that’s an annual meeting
- February 2, 2023
- Posted by: Joe Milazzo II
- Category: Blog
RTA members and partners,
Over the past two weeks, more than 350 of our longstanding members, elected leaders, transportation partners, friends, and new members attended one or both parts of our 21st annual meeting.
The format of our meeting was asynchronous sequential hybrid — while there were both online and in-person components, those were “parts” rather than “options”, since they did not occur at the same time, and they did not convey the same information, although several elements built upon each other.
During part 1 / online-only, we heard from more than a dozen of our leading members and partners, as our focus area chairs and guest speakers introduced topics including regional commuter rail, air service and airport infrastructure, and highway funding options. We also had very good interaction among our members and presenters during the Q&A segments.
Part 2 / in-person only provided us with our annual presentation and report to our members and the region. We highlighted past and future successes including the opening of I-885 connector in Durham, the approval of the completion of 540, the imminent groundbreaking for BRT, and the ongoing gathering and collaborations of our members and partners in places ranging from our own buses and trains during regional transit awareness day to the various mobility systems of South Florida.
Part 2 also provided a new format for in-person interaction, where we transitioned to small group discussions in the middle of our annual meeting luncheon. You could truly feel the region come together as we elevated a number of vital issues ranging from commuter rail to zero fare transit. And, we had strong media coverage from WRAL-5, CBS-17 and ABC-11 to capture the energy.
All in all, I left inspired by the possibilities, and even more by the people who are working together to make this region the best place to live, work, and get around in America.
Thank you to the Raleigh Chamber team for supporting multiple aspects of the 21st annual meeting event, from planning to communication to IT to promotion to execution and more. I am blessed to partner with, support, and receive excellent support from these team members every day.
Thank you for your membership and partnership. 2023 is already a great year, and we are just getting started.
Let’s get moving,
Joe
Joe Milazzo II, PE
RTA executive director
RTA is the voice of the regional business community on transportation