Smart City Expo World Congress 2023 attracted 25,300 attendees from 140 countries, setting a new standard for urban innovation

The Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2023, the leading international summit on cities and smart urban solutions organized by Fira de Barcelona, has set a new benchmark for urban innovation.

Over three days, the event was held in conjunction with Tomorrow. Mobility World Congress organized with the EIT Urban Mobility – Tomorrow.Building and Tomorrow.Blue Economy attracted over 25,300 attendees from 140 countries to Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue.

Catalonia Trade & Investment and Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) participated in the Smart City Expo World Congress 2023 by presenting the Barcelona City Council Mobility Challenge with Fira de Barcelona through the Catalonia Open Innovation Challenges platform. The Smart Cities Challenges consist of networking sessions to promote collaboration between companies, intermediaries, and local and international institutions.

The Challenges were a great success and concluded with the following outcomes:

• 21 Challenge owners.
• 28 major challenges addressed.
• 590 solution providers in attendance.
• 166 outstanding on-site meetings held.

“We’ve seen how cities and companies have started to pave the way to a better future, and we’re proud that our event and Barcelona have been chosen as the global hub for this joint effort”

Ugo Valentí, Director of Smart City Expo World Congress.

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During the conference, 600 experts gathered to discuss various strategies implemented globally to address the challenges cities face. The topics of discussion included Mobility, Governance, Sustainability, and Inclusion. Some of the keynote speakers who presented at the event were Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-Founder, and Chief Strategy Officer of Airbnb; Joan Laporta, President of FC Barcelona; Margaret Mitchell, a computer scientist specializing in Algorithmic bias; Micaela Mantegna, a lawyer specializing in AI; and Claire O’Neill, a former UK Minister for Energy & Clean Growth and an expert in sustainable development.

Together, the events hosted 1,106 exhibitors, 29.7% more than in 2022. Representatives from approximately 800 cities and countries showcased their latest initiatives, including Brazil, China, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nordics, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and the USA. Some projects exhibited included using Digital Twins to represent and monitor various urban areas and Artificial Intelligence to manage mobility and other city services.

The Director of Smart City Expo World Congress, Ugo Valentí, said: “The outcome of Smart City Expo 2023 has certified that we’re opening the door to a new era for cities, as our theme for this year stated, one of innovation and sustainability. For three days, we’ve seen how cities and companies have started to pave the way to a better future, and we’re proud that our event and Barcelona have been chosen as the global hub for this joint effort”.

Maria Tsavachidis, CEO of EIT Urban Mobility and President of Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, said: “Tomorrow.Mobility brought together more people than ever before. The active participation of hundreds of companies and multiple institutions, alongside the engaging discussions around critical themes of urban mobility, showcases the industry’s dedication to shaping sustainable urban mobility. We are inspired by the knowledge-sharing and collaborations that emerged from the event and look forward to continued cooperation within the wider urban mobility ecosystem to ensure cities become more liveable for all”.

Smart City Expo World Congress will return to the Gran Via venue in Barcelona for its thirteenth edition on November 5-7, 2024.

Source: Smart City Expo World Congress.