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Call for Co-Hosts – CARSP Conference 2027

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Important Information and Submission Requirements
For Those Interested in Co-Hosting the 2027 CARSP Conference
Deadline for Proposals is February 25, 2026

Purpose of the Document

This document provides some general information on the CARSP conference and the benefits to co-hosting.  It also outlines the general criteria the conference selection committee will be using to select the 2027 CARSP Conference Co-Host.  Interested parties are asked to provide the information outlined below by February 25, 2026.  All interested parties will be informed of the results by March 13, 2026.

The CARSP Conference and Benefits to Co-Hosts

The CARSP conference draws about 230-275 delegates from Canada and around the world who work in road safety - including health professionals, engineers, government officials, collision re-constructionists, insurers, researchers, enforcement officers and many others. The conference co-host can highlight new or innovative regional road safety initiatives which would be of interest to all Canadian road safety professionals.  Co-hosting a conference also gives you the opportunity to pull together regional road safety partners.  There is also an opportunity for local businesses to be exhibitors and provide information to a national target audience.

General Criteria for Selecting Winning Co-host

The following is a list of criteria the conference co-host selection committee will use to determine the co-host of next year’s conference.  Interested parties are asked to provide the following information to CARSP in written format to our Executive Director at info@carsp.ca by February 25, 2026.  Please note that two proposal items are required.  They are: the timing (see item 2 below) and the venue (see item 3 below).  Both must be acceptable to CARSP.  These will be graded with a pass or fail.  All other items will be measured by a points system.  The points vary by category, and the combined score of all categories is 100 points.  The proponent with the highest overall score, who also meets both the timing (item 2) and venue (item 3) criteria will be selected as the winning proponent.  Proposals must not exceed 10 pages, single spaced, including all appendices.

    1. Why you? (30 points) – CARSP’s Mission is “Fostering a road safety community by providing access to multi-disciplinary information, research and networking opportunities.” The CARSP conference plays a significant role in helping us achieve our mission.  In view of this, below is a list of valid reasons for co-hosting a CARSP Conference.  Please pick the one(s) which apply to you, and provide a description.  A group must pick at least one of the following reasons to be considered as a potential co-host.
      •  Do you have a road safety program which you would like to highlight, which you think would be of interest to all Canadian Road Safety Professionals?
      • Does your government (provincial/regional/local) place a strong emphasis on road safety, and has it produced information which you think would be of interest to all Canadian Road Safety Professionals?
      • Do you want to improve communication and collaboration within your region’s road safety community? If yes, describe this need and how the conference will bring together road safety professionals, initiatives or local governments in your area.
    2. Timing (pass/fail) - The timing of the conference should be in late May or June of 2027.
    3. Venue (pass/fail) - The venue should be appropriate for co-hosting a conference of 230-275 delegates, and include a main room for plenary sessions and 3 break-out rooms (some conference organizers have used the main room, provided it can be subdivided when it is time in the program for the break-out sessions). The venue should also be within 2 hours of a major airport.
    4. Strong Local Organizing Committee (20 points) - The lead agency (private or public), plus at a minimum, 2 other agencies, should be prepared to provide some level of in-kind resources. The main need is for person hours to carry out the various functions of the committee.  We would ask that you outline the resources you and your partner agencies would be able to offer toward the organization of the conference.
    5. Strong Sponsorship Plan (20 points) - The lead agency should have a plan regarding the potential provincial, local and national sponsors it will approach, and a sense of the likelihood of sponsorship from these agencies. We ask that you focus your efforts primarily on local and provincial sponsors as CARSP does have some national organizations who have sponsored our conference in the past, so we will assist with that portion once the winning proponent has been selected.
    6. Experience and Expertise (20 points) - The lead agency, and/or key partners, should have had experience co-hosting a similar conference in the past. A high level of expertise in particular aspects of conference planning (e.g. marketing) is also beneficial.  Please provide details about past conferences organized and the components that your group was responsible for.
    7. Anticipated Good Attendance (10 points) – We are looking for a co-host who can potentially draw in 230-275 delegates. While the CARSP Conference does have a core group of road safety professionals who regularly attend our conference, what we are looking for is a sense of the target population you suggest that we focus on with the conference marketing, and an anticipated attendance by that population.
    8. Conference Theme / Joint-Conference Opportunity (10 points) – We are interested in hearing any ideas you may have regarding a conference theme. We would also ask that you provide some rationale as to why you chose this theme.  While a theme is not required, it may increase your chances of being selected.  We are also interested in possibly engaging in a joint-conference with another related existing conference.
    9. Your Expectations (no score – provides useful information to CARSP) - Outline your expectations of the conference. In other words, what do you hope to gain from co-hosting the Conference?  For example, one expectation might be that the conference will raise your profile to those working in the road safety field.

CARSP’s Support and Role

CARSP will act as a co-host with you in this endeavor.  CARSP will take on the full financial responsibility of the conference (profit or loss and any required downpayments), unless otherwise negotiated with the partner agency (e.g. in the case of hosting a joint conference).  We provide the conference website, complete with event manager software, a registration system and an email distribution program.  Furthermore, 55 hours per month of the Executive Director’s (ED’s) time needs to be included in the conference budget.  The ED has had experience with most of the duties on the committee and is a valuable resource.  Furthermore, a minimum of two CARSP Board members will actively participate on the organizing committee, and they will also serve as a liaison between the conference planning and CARSP’s Board of Directors.  Lastly, we also provide a wealth of experience and resources from having planned the conference many times.  One of the resources we provide is a guide which details the roles and responsibilities of the Conference Organizing Committee members.  In sum, CARSP will provide a high level of support to the lead agency in planning the 2027 CARSP Conference.

Next Steps and Contact Information

Please share the information requested above to info@carsp.ca or by telephone, by February 25, 2026.  You will be notified of our decision by March 13, 2026.  If you are the winning proponent, we will ask you to enter into a memorandum of understanding, which will be collaboratively developed by CARSP and the winning proponent.  If you have any questions or require further information, please contact our Executive Director at info@carsp.ca .  Thank-you for considering co-hosting the 2027 CARSP Conference!