EACC to hold public transportation conference here

The European-American Chamber of Commerce (EACC) has will hold its 2010 Urban and Regional Public Transportation Conference at Cincinnati's Westin Hotel on May 5.

Hundreds of decision makers from domestic and international business and government will receive a broad perspective on high-speed and commuter passenger rail systems, including a comparison of U.S. and European policy and its implications on the Midwest region.

The keynote address will be delivered by John D. Porcari, Deputy Secretary of Transportation with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Other speakers will include Federal Railroad Administration Administrator Joe Szabo; Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jolene Molitoris; Hervé Le Caignec, senior vice president of International Business Development for SNCF; General Electric Vice Chairman John Rice; and Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls.

The event will conclude with a Supplier and Partner Expo and networking reception and a Gala Dinner featuring French Minister of Foreign Trade Anne-Marie Idrac.

"This is the first public transportation conference to bring together experts and policymakers from both sides of the Atlantic in this format and we are thrilled that the EACC could bring this to Cincinnati," EACC Executive Director Anne Cappel said in a media release. "This conference is a tremendous opportunity to gain insight into public rail transportation, encouraging debate and directly exchanging ideas, knowledge and experience between the U.S. and Europe."

Prices range from between $110 and $270 for admission to the conference, gala, or both. Discounts are available for those who register by April 9. For more information or to register for the event, visit the EACC conference website.

Founded in 2007 and based in Cincinnati, the EACC stimulates business relations and economic development between Europe and the Greater Cincinnati area. EACC also has headquarters in Paris and New York.