The first International Motorcyclists Conference, organised between the Federation of European Motorcyclists’ Associations (FEMA), the Motorcyclists Confederation of Canada (MCC) and the Australian Motorcycle Council (AMC), commenced in Brussels on Monday.

AMC chairman Shaun Lennard – a member of the organising committee – had been in Brussels since Thursday assisting with final preparations for the event, which also includes the 13th annual MEP (Members of the European Parliament) Ride. The latest information on the conference and the MEP Ride can be found from links on the FEMA website.

“Our original target was around 100 conference participants, but there’s actually more than 150 people involved which is very pleasing,” said Lennard. “The FEMA people have been very welcoming. I’ve been repaying the favour by spending most of my three days here so far at their office, helping with final preparations for the conference.

“The AMC’s participation in this event has been supported directly by the European Commission, and it’s an honour for our organisation that the AMC’s participation is seen as a key to the success of this inaugural event.

“On Friday afternoon, I was joined by Matt Bennett from MA’s Riders Division and we met with the Australian ambassador to Belgium and the EU, Dr Brendan Nelson. Matt had just been at the FIM Rally which has also been on in Belgium. We spent an hour with Dr Nelson – he was very interested to hear about the conference program as well as recent developments with motorcycle safety in Australia.

“The 13th annual MEP Ride is also taking place alongside the conference, and Dr Nelson, Matt and myself will all be participating. It’s on Monday night – a two-hour police-escorted ride through the Belgian countryside. There will be around 80 people on the ride, including a dozen or so MEPs. The others include media, FEMA member reps, plus a number of European Commission and MEP staffers, and representatives from the motorcycle industry in Europe.”

Lennard will deliver a presentation to the conference assessing progress with motorcycle safety initiatives in Australia, from the perspective of riders. He will also moderate and chair the session on The Next Generation of Motorcycles.

James Holgate, the director of Road User Safety at Vic Roads, will make two presentations focusing on Victoria’s Road Safety and Transport Strategic Action Plan for Powered Two Wheelers, released in 2009.

On Monday afternoon, the AMC will also be participating in the conference media presentation.