Call for Papers - The 23rd Annual Transport Practitioners' Meeting

The Transport Practitioners’ Meeting (TPM) started in the 70s as the ‘Summer Annual Meeting’ – a place for the small and growing community of Transport Planners to get together, network and share ideas. The event has stayed true to it’s roots over the years, becoming the must-attend annual gathering for all transport planners, modellers, placemakers, and urban transport designers.

For over 20 years, we have brought together transport practitioners to be empowered to make transport a force for good. The world today faces unprecedented transport, logistics and planning challenges, making the conference an even more invaluable space to debate, share and engage. TPM provides a home for the profession, an arena to find common solutions, to ensure that transportation managers are ready to build a world that is better than before.

Why submit an abstract?

Presenting at TPM, regardless of your career level, offers a wealth of valuable opportunities. Seasoned practitioners will find a unique platform to share their expertise with a diverse and knowledgeable community of peers, fostering meaningful debates and the dissemination of valuable insights. For emerging professionals, TPM provides a supportive and friendly environment to build confidence and enthusiasm while presenting to a receptive and knowledgeable audience of fellow practitioners.

All delegates benefit from a range of networking opportunities. Graduates will rub shoulders with CEOs who in turn will be able to chat to the decision makers at Local Authorities. Above all, TPM creates an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere where professionals can discuss the latest trends, exchange ideas, and cultivate new projects.

How are papers presented?

The conference, which runs over two days from 09 – 10 July 2025, is split into a series of parallel streams, and further divided into a number of sessions. Each session lasts between 90 – 120 minutes and features three or four papers.

Speakers are advised to allow 20 minutes to present their paper and 10 minutes for discussion with the audience; a chairperson ensures that speakers remain within their allotted 30 minutes. This format allows delegates the freedom to explore a wide range of topics and papers that are of direct relevance to their own work areas.

Want to present a workshop?

Workshop sessions will be arranged to allow delegates to explore particular issues in more depth, lasting one hour. We encourage presenters to view workshops as interactive sessions, not simply a longer paper presentation.

How are papers selected?

The TPM Committee considers all submitted abstracts and discuss which ones should be presented at the conference. The intention is to select interesting papers that will inspire lively and fruitful debates. As papers are selected on the basis of the abstracts received, it’s important that abstracts contain sufficient information to demonstrate the value of the paper to transport practitioners. If selected, the abstract title and summary will be used in delegate packs – think about the audience you would like to attract to your presentation when you write this!

Please make sure that you provide enough information about the proposed content of your paper, and any expected conclusions and results, when you prepare your abstract.

What are the timescales?

Friday 16 January 2026 – Deadline for submission of abstracts is twelve noon

Monday 16 March 2026 – Authors will be notified whether their abstract has been selected

Friday 15 May 2026 – Deadline for submission of papers and presentations

#2026TPM will be held in-person in Manchester, 08 - 09 July 2026