Fira de Barcelona is hosting the Barcelona Smart City Expo, the Circular Economy Summit, Iwater and European Utility Week at the same time
Barcelona is set to be the world capital of sustainable development with four simultaneous events in November
From 15 to 17 November, Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via exhibition centre plays host to four international events based on sustainable development. The latest innovations, trends and technologies, along with applied knowledge for smart cities, energy, the integral water cycle and the circular economy, will attract more than 1,300 exhibitors and 30,000 trade professionals from over 100 countries to visit the different exhibitions and new products on show at the Smart City Expo World Congress, the Circular Economy European Summit, Iwater and European Utility Week.
These four shows, which share some important synergies, will occupy three halls and bring together some 1,300 national and international exhibitors. In addition, representatives from around 600 cities around the world are expected to attend, along with some 1,000 speakers involved in the different plenary sessions, conferences and seminars taking place over the three-day event.
The general manager of Fira de Barcelona, Constantí Serrallonga, contends that ‘the fact that these four international events are being held at the same time in the same place positions not only Fira de Barcelona but also the city and the country as a benchmark in the move towards sustainable development.’ According to Serrallonga, ‘our goal is to create synergies between all these shows and generate the maximum number of opportunities for companies and trade professionals, uniting knowledge, experience, business and technology so that together we can build a better future.’
The Smart City Expo World Congress 2016 will be the biggest edition to date of the leading global event on smart cities. It will feature more than 600 cities, 412 speakers and 576 exhibitors, including the leading firms in the smart urban solutions industry. Occupying Hall 2 of the Gran Via exhibition centre, the event expects to attract over 14,000 visitors from around one hundred countries. Organised by Fira de Barcelona, the event puts a focus on people and the different initiatives that are being rolled out worldwide to empower them and make metropolises more human.
To achieve this, the programme has been built around seven main themes: Governability, Economy, Society, Sustainability, Mobility, Data & Technology and Security, on which the leading experts in the sector will be speaking, including Susan Etlinger (director of the Big Boulder Initiative to promote the ethical use of social data), David Bollier (founder of the Commons Strategies Group) and Parag Khanna (one of the leading geopolitical analysts on the international scene).
At its first edition, the Circular Economy European Summit will address a new economic model that aspires to redirect economic and production processes to focus on the reuse and recycling of materials and resources, in contrast to the current linear system based on the extraction, manufacture, use and elimination of products, which many experts are citing as obsolete. The event, which is being launched this year by Fira de Barcelona, will present a range of different business experiences, including a programme of conferences featuring experts on urban planning and local government managers and representatives from the private sector, most notably Ellen MacArthur, the instigator of the foundation that bears her name, who has become the greatest champion of this paradigm shift in the economy and will also be speaking at the Smart City Expo World Congress.
The other new show organised by Fira de Barcelona, Iwater, on the integral water cycle, will be featuring in Hall 1 the latest innovations and technologies for tackling hydric stress as well as showcasing investment projects, new trends and new business models in the sector. Some 120 exhibitors are taking part to reveal their solutions for water catchment, treatment, distribution, storage, sanitation, purification and reuse, as well as its agricultural, industrial and domestic management and consumption, amongst other uses. It also includes the Iwater Forum with presentations by over 80 speakers to address some of the most important global issues facing this industry from the perspective of resilience, governance and financing, along with the Tech Hub, where new regulations, success stories and investment projects will be presented, and the Inno Hub, encompassing the sector’s R&D&I as presented by start-ups, technology centres, universities and entrepreneurs.
Finally, European Utility Week is coming to Barcelona, the leading platform for the energy and resource management sector, organised by the private operators Synergy and Clarion Events. The event takes place in Hall 3 of the Gran Via exhibition centre and expects to host some 600 international companies and 12,000 visitors. The event puts a focus on optimizing the electricity network, developing renewable energies, energy storage, the full gamut of energy efficiency services and the challenges and opportunities of the Internet of Things, cybersecurity and data management. The show features an exhibition zone, business facilitation areas and support for start-ups.
Barcelona, 9th November 2016