Reflections on 20 Years of Modelling World

Why should you be at Modelling World 2026? Beyond the talks and discussions, you have the opportunity to meet and talk with like-minded people and there is a high probability there will be someone in the room who is as obsessed about your niche topic as you

Modelling World has, for many modellers in the UK, been a staple for so long now, that it’s hard to remember a time when it didn’t exist.

Apparently up until the European Transport Conference left the UK for the first time in 2003, that was the place for us modellers to get together.  Alas I was too junior in those days to visit the hallowed grounds of ETC in Cambridge, and various other university venues.

---

Check out the programme for Modelling World 2026 and book your place now

---

A dedicated event for modellers

Nonetheless that move created the space for a dedicated event, initially called the Transport Modelling Forum but in 2010 taking on the name we know and love – Modelling World.  Thankfully, despite that first event using the hashtag #MW2010, the owners of Miss World have tolerated what to them must be a weird bunch of poorly dressed folk apparently promoting their event.

Why should you be at Modelling World 2026?  Let’s face it, even our non-modelling colleagues see us as somewhat weird nerds and geeks and don’t truly understand the beauty of a Select Link Analysis

My first foray to Modelling World was in 2017 and a trip to the home of Charlton Athletic (sportsgrounds being a common venue over the years).  For an event that’s been going for 20 years, I’m a veritable newbie. 

I can’t be 100% sure, but that may have been the first time I encountered the extroverted, excitable, and eccentric Dutchman who seems to run the show!  A man with whom it has since been my pleasure to explore the joy of, pre pandemic, wearing the coolest tie and post pandemic, the coolest socks to Modelling World. 

If you’re coming to Modelling World this year, cool socks are the must-have accessory – photographs will be taken!

Landor and Tom van Vuren, as Chair of Modelling World, have worked hard over the years to keep the event fresh and have been willing to try different formats. 

At the start it was one day only but that was too short, one year it was three days but that was too long, but one and a half days, like Baby Bear’s porridge, seems to be just right.

There have been discussions, workshops, debates, presentations, and showcases.  The theme has been widened to visualisation, data and appraisal, but modelling remains at the heart of the event. We have had drinks, meals and snacks.  We have been to Birmingham, London, back to Birmingham, online (pandemic), Manchester and this year Leeds and that’s not considering the International and Middle-east spin-offs. 

In 2018, the Master of Modelling award came into being, which has evolved into the Lifetime Achievement award to reflect that there are modellers who are not male.  A quick analysis shows roughly a 20% female representation among presenters and chairs. I don’t have data on general attendance gender split; we know that we are a profession that is still heavily male-dominated, but is it slowly improving?

I also don’t have data of how many organisations have sent delegates, but over 200 organisations have provided over 500 people to present, discuss and debate on over 600 topics (an average of 30 sessions a year).  That covers national and devolved governments, sub-national transport bodies, local authorities, consultants, suppliers, and academia. International participants have joined from Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands, Switzerland and from places as far as Australia and the States.

What's been on the agenda?

Which importantly brings me onto the question of what the heck have we been talking about and is there still anything to discuss?  What I found most surprising is that once I got past model/models/modelling, transport/traffic/travel, and data, there are no dominant topics.

Car is only mentioned 13 times in 20 years; Rail 14; Bus 4; Cycle 9; Transit 5.  

Spatial planning is clearly more on our minds: urban 24 times; city 23; national 16; world 11, regional 11, London alone 11 times, but rural only once.

I was expecting to see more on the topic of the environment with carbon and climate only coming in at 19 mentions.  Incredibly, there is only one mention of Covid/pandemic.  It would seem that autonomous/driverless travel is more interesting with 11 mentions.

What about what moves?  Freight is still not making inroads with just 16 mentions, although people/passenger/driver only hits a total of 8 …  Do we need to spend more time discussing what we’re moving around the country?

Who would have thought 20 years ago that this year themes include agentic AI, machine learning and quantum computing? Forecasting remains a tricky skill. What do you think we should be devoting our time to discussing?  Well, the final session of this year’s event is dedicated to just that. 

Why else should you be at Modelling World 2026?  Let’s face it, even our non-modelling colleagues see us as somewhat weird nerds and geeks and don’t truly understand the beauty of a Select Link Analysis.  Beyond the talks and discussions, you have the opportunity to meet and talk with like-minded people and there is a high probability there will be someone in the room who is as obsessed about your niche topic as you. Modelling World is my second home full of like-minded friends, and strangers who are friends waiting to happen!

---

Stephen Cragg is Head of Appraisal and Model Development at Transport Scotland