ITS America conference in Detroit sets attendance record
Fri, 19th Jun 2026 (Today)
ITS America Conference & Expo 2026 drew more than 3,000 attendees to Detroit, setting an attendance record.
The four-day event at Huntington Place, organised by RX Global and ITS America, brought together transportation officials, technology suppliers and researchers from 46 states and the District of Columbia.
More than 170 exhibitors and sponsors took part, and the programme featured more than 100 conference sessions and 25 live demonstrations. The event focused on intelligent transportation systems, with displays and discussions covering artificial intelligence, connected transport, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital infrastructure and autonomous vehicles.
Detroit played a central role in the demonstrations. Attendees went beyond the exhibition hall to see transport technology in operation on city streets and along connected road corridors in south-east Michigan.
The demonstrations included the 45-mile I-94 Freeway Experience between downtown Detroit and Ann Arbor, as well as the four-mile M-1 Intelligent Woodward Experience. The Woodward route featured 31 vehicle-to-everything-equipped intersections and autonomous shuttle vehicles.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer gave closing remarks and later met industry leaders and students from Clinton High School STEM in the exhibition hall. Her appearance underscored the role state governments are playing as transport agencies and suppliers test connected road systems and related software.
Technology themes
The conference also introduced two new areas on the show floor: an ITS StartUps Zone for newer transport technology companies and a Cybersecurity & Data Zone focused on digital risks affecting vehicles and road infrastructure.
The cybersecurity section featured 10 exhibitors, including Palo Alto Networks, Google and 360 Network Solutions. It also included workshops and sessions on protecting connected vehicles, securing smart infrastructure and improving the resilience of transport systems.
Outdoor demonstrations extended to drone logistics. Blueflite staged a series of deliveries in the demo area to show how unmanned aircraft could be used to send supplies to emergency responders.
National transport officials also appeared in plenary sessions. Sean McMaster, Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration at the US Department of Transportation, joined a session on the sector's development over 35 years and the direction of future mobility systems.
Another plenary session was led by Laura Chace and Kurtis McBride, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Miovision. It brought together transport executives to discuss how ideas can be turned into operational projects.
State department of transportation roundtables were also held during the event, giving public sector leaders a forum to compare implementation strategies and lessons from projects already under way.
In a statement on the event, Laura Chace, President and Chief Executive Officer of ITS America, said the conference highlighted technologies already moving into practical use. "The technologies on display here, including AI-powered traffic management and V2X-connected corridors, represent the very innovation our industry has championed for decades," Chace said.
She added: "What we witnessed in Detroit shows that bringing people from across public, private, and research sectors together builds lasting partnerships and leads to safer, smarter, and more connected transportation."
Jaime McAuley, Event Vice President, ITS America Events, RX Global, highlighted the city-wide nature of this year's demonstrations. "ITS America Conference & Expo 2026 delivered an experience unlike any other," McAuley said. "The demonstration program in Detroit set a new standard, reaching far beyond the show floor and into the city itself. Connecting the ITS community to real, deployed technology along Detroit's most iconic corridors gave every attendee something they could not experience anywhere else."
Wider setting
Detroit's automotive base formed part of the backdrop to the conference. The organisers described the city as a test bed for connected transport, citing its manufacturing history and the volume of vehicles produced in the wider state economy.
The event also included a Future Leaders Program sponsored by Southwest Research Institute. Aimed at students and early-career professionals, it focused on the role of artificial intelligence in transport.
The event also pointed ahead to its next host city. "As a former Chair of ITS America, I know firsthand what this event means to the transportation community, and hosting it in Utah is something we take seriously," said Carlos Braceras, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Transportation. "Salt Lake City is a city that embraces bold ideas, and the Salt Palace Convention Centre will give transportation leaders from around the world the stage they need to share the technologies and solutions shaping the next generation of mobility. We cannot wait to see you in April 2027."