Jointly held with Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona
Tomorrow.Blue Economy will chart a course to boost the blue economy
Over 250 experts from around the world will provide insights into how to develop the extraordinary potential of seas and oceans as powerhouses of the economy through innovation and sustainability at the third edition of the Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress (TBEWC). Among the event’s highlights are The Smart Ports: Piers of the Future forum, organized by the Port of Barcelona, and the conferences by the World Ocean Council (WOC) to tackle the major challenges these strategic infrastructures face in cities and the pathways to reduce marine pollution, respectively.
One of the more pressing challenges is the urgency to sustainably and responsibly harness the resources offered by the marine ecosystem, which covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, as a source of wealth and welfare for the 21st-century society.
To face this task, a new edition of TBEWC will take place from November 5 to 7 at the Gran Via venue. The event is organized by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with the Barcelona City Council through Barcelona Activa; the Port of Barcelona; the WOC, the leading international business organization in the field of sustainable maritime economy; and Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, initiative of the Port Authority of Barcelona.
The congress will discuss the importance and potential of ocean resources as well as their preservation and will feature over 250 national and international specialists and a conference program with more than 40 sessions.
Along these lines, on November 5 and 6, the sixth edition of Smart Ports: Piers of the Future will take place, promoted by the Port of Barcelona, featuring authorities from around the world. More than 60 speakers will make up the panel for these sessions, including Tino Klemm, CFO of the Hamburg Port Authority; José Alberto Carbonell, General Director of the Port of Barcelona; Michael DiBernardo, Deputy Executive Director of Marketing and Customer Relations at the Port of Los Angeles; the Director of the maritime consultancy Drewry; and Patrick Verhoeven, Director of the International Ports Association, among others.
Topics such as the use of drones in port activities, combating drug trafficking and organized crime, actions to minimize marine pollution from plastics, and the impact of artificial intelligence on port infrastructure management will be discussed in these sessions. The event is supported by an alliance of the ports of Antwerp-Bruges, Barcelona, Busan, Gothenburg, Hamburg, Los Angeles, Montreal, and Rotterdam, and aims at promoting the digital and sustainable transformation of ports.
Additionally, Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress will host the Sustainable Ocean Summit (November 5-6) and the Global Blue Finance Summit (November 7), both forums organized by the WOC to foster business collaboration and develop innovative financial solutions to facilitate the growth of the blue economy.
Cities, coasts and oceans
The director of TBEWC and the Smart City Expo World Congress, Ugo Valenti, emphasizes that “Tomorrow.Blue Economy is an essential piece for a comprehensive reflection on the necessary green transition of cities and to focus on the management of our coasts, seas, and oceans, and on the great opportunities they offer if we are capable of taking care of them.”
The president of the Port of Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó, has highlighted the potential of Barcelona and, especially, its Port to become a hub of innovation in the blue economy with a global projection. “The combination of talent, organizations, and infrastructure makes the Port of Barcelona a unique platform for the promotion of the blue economy, sustainability, and maritime innovation.”
The WOC Managing Director, Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, stated that “WOC’s ongoing collaboration with the City and Port of Barcelona and our alignment with the Smart Cities World Expo and Fira Barcelona are demonstrations of the collaboration and partnership that brought our headquarters to Barcelona. We are extremely pleased to start this multiyear Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) and Global Blue Finance Summit (BlueFIN) placement with our partners to drive global private sector leadership, collaboration and action in support of sustainable cities and seas.”
The General Director of Barcelona Activa, Lorenzo di Pietro, said that “Barcelona will witness a more ambitious edition of the Tomorrow.Blue Economy, integrated into the Smart City Expo World Congress and with the WOC as an international partner. The city, as demonstrated by the strategic investment of 142 million euros recently announced by the Mayor to promote cutting-edge blue economy facilities such as the Maritime Technology Park, the Barcelona Sea of Science Center, and the BlueTechPort at the Port of Barcelona, continues to support this sector as a driving force for a more competitive, sustainable, and innovative Barcelona”.
Blue companies and Startups
Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress will feature a commercial exhibition space of 1,000 m² and will include a total of 14 startups specializing in the blue economy that will showcase their projects and innovative ideas. Among them is the American AquaDrone, presenting an autonomous surface vehicle (USV), powered by AI and designed to navigate and collect floating waste and microplastics in the water; the Dutch The Great Bubble Barrier, which creates bubble curtains and generates an upward current to guide plastics to the surface for collection; and the Norwegian Zeabuz, which develops solutions for autonomous and intelligent navigation applied to ferries and water taxis, and Ocean Ecostructures, a catalan company dedicated to marine regeneration.
Similarly, the participation of the Spanish foundation Bluewave Alliance is noteworthy. The alliance comprising companies, social entrepreneurs, and members of the scientific community will present its SeaSpore project, a 3x3x3 meter calcium carbonate sculpture submerged on the seabed that contributes to its regeneration.
The legacy of the America’s Cup
This edition will also reflect on the opportunities that sporting events such as the America’s Cup sailing competition, taking place in the waters of Barcelona, can offer to the coastal cities hosting them, both economically and socially.
In this regard, the legacy that the event leaves in Barcelona will be discussed, including improvements made to coastal infrastructures such as the transformation of the Olympic Port or the refurbishment of the Port Vell, as well as future projects like the BlueTech Port hub in the Port of Barcelona, the Maritime Technology Park of Barcelona (PTMB), and the Barcelona Sea Sciences Center (BCN MdC) part of the CSIC, the Spanish National Research Council.
The blue economy contributes $1.5 trillion in added value to the global economy, generates over 30 million jobs, and provides a vital source of protein for more than three billion people, according to the United Nations. Furthermore, the EU Blue Economy Report states that the blue economy generates more than 1.6% of the GDP of the twenty-seven countries in the European Union, providing employment for over 3.6 million people across Europe.
Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress, Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, and Tomorrow.Building World Congress will be held alongside the Smart City Expo World Congress 2024, the largest global event on cities and urban innovation. The four events expect to gather over 1,000 exhibitors, representatives from more than 800 cities and 140 countries, and 600 speakers.