Wikipedia
Velo-city is a series of cycle planning conferences that started in 1980 in Bremen. The Velo-city 1980 also inspired the founding of the European Cyclists' Federation (ECF) in 1983. The conferences are one of the world's primary forums for the exchange of bicycling expertise.
The name Velo-city is a small play on word using the French for bicycle - vélo, and Velo-city can also be read as velocity or speed. European Cyclists’ Federation owns the series name, and the ECF Board is the decision-making body for Velo-city.
At the beginning, the conference guests and speakers were mainly bicycle advocates, but today Velo-city is well known for gathering all those who are involved in the policy, promotion and provision for cyclists. This mixture of people, professions, skills and experience is a valuable component of the events' success. Velo-city is a forum, the place to be for stakeholders from local, regional and national authorities, politicians, academics, consultants, industrials, and bicycle users.
Velo-city is an occasion for a city to show continuous and lasting efforts to improve cycling in its city. For instance Paris, inspired by the Velo-city 2003 conference, launched Velib in 2007, thereby creating world-wide attention.