The Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) is set to bring together over 1,000 exhibitors, representatives from 800 cities and more than 600 experts at Fira Barcelona 7 November.
Airbnb co-founder Nate Blecharczyk, computer scientist Margaret Mitchell, and former UK minister Claire O’Neill lead the speaker lineup.
SCEWC is a leading international event on cities and smart urban solutions organised by Fira de Barcelona, this year under the theme ‘The New Urban Era’.
Delegates will share their latest projects and solutions aimed at using new technologies such as AI to take a leap towards more sustainable cities and make smart cities even smarter.
The event will become the largest global showcase of innovative urban solutions and projects focusing on strategies to transform current metropolises into more sustainable, efficient, and livable spaces. To achieve this goal, SCEWC will structure its Congress programme in eight main tracks: Enabling Technologies, Energy & Environment, Mobility, Governance & Economy, Living & Inclusion, Infrastructure & Buildings, Safety & Security, and Blue Economy.
Among the speakers will be FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta, who will explain how the football club is leading the urban transformation of the surroundings of its stadium.
Event director, Ugo Valenti, said: “The 2023 edition of Smart City Expo will be the biggest ever. The numbers prove that urban innovation ecosystem is in full force again. Amid the so-called Decade of Action, it is time to speed up urban transformation worldwide. We must future-proof our cities so they can effectively become more sustainable, efficient, and livable. Many are already on this path, and the event is a chance to contribute to this goal.”
Innovation showcase
SCEWC will feature a fully booked floorspace, with companies such as AWS, Aramco, Axis, Cisco, Dassault Systemes, Dell, Deloitte, FCC, Honeywell, Microsoft, Nvidia, PWC, Roshn, Siemens, Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, and Veolia. The event will also include pavilions from countries and cities including Brazil, China, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nordics, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and USA.
SCEWC is including a Demo Area with almost 20 examples of solutions being deployed in cities worldwide. Among these products feature AI-equipped electric scooters, modular cabins capable of creating workspaces in public areas, AI smart waste bins that sort out waste by themselves, self-driving shuttles for public transportation, space-efficient foldable cars, and drones ready to delivers goods and pharmaceutical supplies.
Capital city of cities
Among the highest ranking representatives are over 50 mayors, including Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris (France); Kostas Bakoyannis, Mayor of Athens (Greece); Pablo Javkin, Mayor of Rosario (Argentina); Kenneth Sim, Mayor of Vancouver (Canada); Mihhail Kölvart, Mayor of Tallinn (Estonia); Daithí De Róiste, Mayor of Dublin (Ireland); Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston (USA); and Sang-jin Shin, Mayor of Seongam (Republic of South Korea).
SCEWC will be the stage for a group of European mayors, from cities such as Barcelona, Bilbao, Ghent, Malaga, Milan, Oulu, Paris, Sant Boi, Tallinn and Tirana among others, and with the collaboration of Eurocities network, to formally present the Barcelona Declaration ‘European Cities for European Policymaking and Democracy’. This is a declaration designed to strengthen their participation in EU policymaking and European democracy. By this announcement, European Mayors request to create a Council of Cities at a European level.
Barcelona will also be the stage of the World Smart City Awards that acknowledge the most outstanding initiatives and projects in the innovation and urban transformation industry. With a total of 411 entries from 63 countries, the 12th edition of these accolades is the biggest to date.
Global Innovation Hub
In addition, Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, Tomorrow.Building, Tomorrow.Blue Economy – and PuzzleX will be held alongside SCEWC to strengthen the role of the event and Barcelona as a global hub of smart solutions.
