Every ‘typical’ spring, the Southern District of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (SDITE) sponsors an annual meeting for its members. This extravaganza of technical presentations, vendor displays, networking, social contests, and awards is the highlight of the year for our members. This meeting has all the camaraderie, entertainment, and educational opportunities the membership has come to expect. Our District has a long history of annual meetings; for example, the first Southern District Annual Meeting was held in 1953 in conjunction with the Southern Safety Conference and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia. The meetings are rotated between the Sections that make up each District. The Annual Meeting has a rich tradition of bringing transportation professionals from academia, government, and private practice together to exchange practical ideas and experiences while socializing with colleagues, mentors, friends, and family.
We are excited to invite you to Louisville, Kentucky home of Churchill Downs (think Kentucky Derby!) as well as the Louisville Slugger Museum. Not into sports? Check out the Olmstead Park System composed of 18 parks and six parkways that are full of activities, brimming with historical links and footnotes.
Our Annual Meeting includes numerous excellent technical sessions with engineering and planning tracks, a golf event, a much anticipated social event sponsored by the Associated Business Division (ABD), a spouse/guest program, and a half-day professional development seminar.
The technical program, as always, keeps the membership informed of the latest innovations and current practices in the profession, while the ABD displays demonstrate the latest technologies. The Scholarship Challenge, known better as the Traffic Bowl, provides an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in a team competition of “transportation knowledge”. For the membership, it is a chance to root for our respective alma maters. However, one of the most rewarding aspects of the Annual Meeting is the renewal of old friendships and the making of new ones.
The grand finale of the annual meeting is the annual banquet. As part of the program, SDITE presents awards to members who have written noteworthy technical papers. SDITE recognizes members who have advanced the transportation profession whether it was for their efforts over the past few years or a lifetime.