The event will hold its largest edition to date with over 1,000 exhibitors
Smart City Expo 2023 will feature Airbnb and FC Barcelona among the keynotes
Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC), the leading international event on cities and smart urban solutions organized by Fira de Barcelona will become the stage where global organizations such as Airbnb and FC Barcelona, among others, will discuss the challenges for the coming years. From November 7 to 9, the urban summit will bring together over 1,000 exhibitors and representatives from 800 cities – its largest edition to date –, willing to share their projects and solutions to the over 25,000 delegates expected.
Amongst the highlights of SCEWC are the keynotes from the co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Airbnb, Nathan Blecharczyk, who will explain how the company is working with cities and governments around the world; and FC Barcelona, whose representatives will discuss how the renowned football club is leading the urban transformation of the surroundings of its stadium.
In the past decades, Airbnb has transformed the way people live, work and travel and now the pandemic is over and travel has returned to Europe, Airbnb wants to help tackle overtourism, and has launched new features to help disperse guests and benefits across Europe. Nathan Blecharczyk, will unveil how the company wants to work with cities and governments to support sustainable travel.
The construction of the new Spotify Camp Nou, as part of the ambitious Espai Barça project, is set to catalyze a profound urban transformation in its surrounding area. Beyond being a world-renowned football venue, the redesigned stadium will serve as the centerpiece of the urban fabric, redefining its surroundings through enhanced infrastructure, modernized facilities, and a focus on sustainability. This urban metamorphosis aims to improve the quality of life for residents, reinforcing Barcelona’s reputation as a city of innovation and progress.
Other keynote speakers include computer scientist and expert in Algorithmic bias Margaret Mitchell, AI-specialized lawyer Micaela Mantegna, and sustainable development expert Claire O’Neill, the former UK Minister for Energy & Clean Growth. The congress will structure its program into eight tracks to cover the main urban challenges that cities worldwide are currently facing: Enabling Technologies, Energy & Environment, Mobility, Governance, Living & Inclusion, Economy, Infrastructure & Buildings, Safety & Security, and Blue Economy.
In addition to the conferences, 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 from around the world including Brazil, China, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nordics, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, and USA, among others.
Global Hub of Innovation
In addition, Tomorrow.Building, Tomorrow.Mobility, Tomorrow.BlueEconomy –focusing on the opportunities of the blue economy– and PUZZLE X will be held alongside SCEWC to strengthen the role of the event and Barcelona as a global hub of smart solutions and provide answers to these the challenges today’s cities face.
