Rome, awarded as “Smart City of 2025” for its smart city model
Smart City Expo closes a record edition calling for cities to lead global transformation
Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the leading international summit on cities and smart urban solutions organized by Fira de Barcelona, closed its 2025 edition this afternoon after registering record-breaking figures. With over 27,000 attendees from 143 countries gathered at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue, the event focused on how cities must spearhead urban transformation making use of technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, capable of boosting initiatives worldwide.
Under the theme “The Time for Cities”, SCEWC 2025 showcased the transformative potential of technology, with a special focus on Artificial Intelligence as a driver for sustainable and efficient urban development. The debut of the AI-enabled cities area allowed delegates to explore how this technology is speeding up solutions in metropolises worldwide establishing itself as a catalyst for change.
The Director of Smart City Expo World Congress, Ugo Valenti said “Cities are clearly embracing their role and responsibility in the future. The challenges are complex, but they are facing them head-on and steering towards action. Artificial Intelligence has established itself as a critical tool, not just for efficiency but for accelerating the transformation that metropolises urgently need. Cities must lead with purpose and accountability and after this year’s event it is clearer than ever that we are on the right track.”
SCEWC was held together with Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress – organized with the EIT urban Mobility –, Tomorrow.Building, Tomorrow.Blue Economy, and the Barcelona Deep Tech Summit, gathering 1,190 exhibitors such as Axis Communications, Bentley, Dahua Technology, Dassault Systèmes, Dell, Deloitte, Google, iotsquared, Microsoft, Nvidia, Spie, Urbaser and Veolia.
In addition, the events brought together more than 600 international experts, among which Nikki Greenberg, Kate O’Neill, and Carlo Ratti, who shared insights on the future of urban living, governance, and mobility throughout.
SCEWC 2025 also highlighted the role of startups in shaping tomorrow’s cities, with the Innovation Playground connecting investors, research centres, and nearly 350 young companies showcasing their new products and technologies.
World Smart City Awards
The Italian city of Rome was awarded as “Smart City of 2025” at the World Smart City Awards that acknowledge every year the most outstanding initiatives and projects in the urban transformation industry. The awards also honored Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Mayor of Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and former Exectuive Director of UN-Habitat for her contribution to the development of new urban paradigms at a global scale.
Smart City Expo World Congress will return to Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue for its fifteenth edition on November 3-5, 2026.
Barcelona. November 6th 2025
