Clean Fuels Ohio has expanded its annual conference, the Midwest Green Fleets Forum and Expo, to a wider range of audiences, including local government leaders, transportation and energy planners, and commercial and residential developers and property managers, along with fleet leaders and personnel. The Forum and Expo will take place Sept. 24-26 at the Marriott Columbus University Area.

"This event has become the strongest of its kind in the country,” said Sam Spofforth, executive director of Clean Fuels Ohio. “We’ve painstakingly constructed a powerful lineup of speakers from outside and inside Ohio to drive not only the learning experience but the quality of networking.”

The program now includes three separate tracks, advanced fuels and management, electrification, and advanced mobility, along with plenary sessions, a set of strong pre-conference training sessions, an industry expo, two evening receptions, and three awards programs. A change of venue has enabled conference organizers to bring back and expand the ride & drive events which will be located in the parking lot of the Marriott. 

“The transportation and fleet industries are changing so rapidly that fleet leaders and personnel are challenged to keep up,” said Kelly Reagan, chairman of the Ohio Chapter of MEMA, the Municipal Equipment Maintenance Association, which again is co-presenting the conference. “Whether you’re directly involved in a fleet or interested in how dramatic change presents new challenges and opportunities to your organization, this conference is essential.”

Smart Columbus is a presenting sponsor, and the region’s increasing national leadership has helped enhance this year’s broadened agenda. This includes a focus on autonomous vehicles for consumers and the logistics industry, utility electric vehicle (EV) charging programs and policies, best practices for EV charging installations, and Ohio’s statewide leadership through the broader DriveOhio initiative, among others.

“It’s fitting that Columbus is the host of a strong conference on smart mobility, given our growing leadership in this arena,” said Mark Patton, VP, Smart Cities for the Columbus Partnership. “We look forward to participating in and leading conversations that will help accelerate projects related to electrification and innovation throughout our region and beyond so that our private and public sector organizations may realize the benefits of smart mobility."