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Smart City Expo World Congress announces 2025 keynotes
Fourteenth edition of the event will bring together more than 600 global experts to share strategies, tech and projects that are driving urban transformation.
Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) has announced its latest headline speakers for the international event on smart cities and urban innovation organised by Fira de Barcelona.
Architect and researcher Carlo Ratti, futurist Nikki Greenberg, and AI specialist Kate O’Neill, among other speakers, will deliver keynote speeches at the fourteenth edition of the event which takes place from 4 to 6 November at the Gran Via venue.
Driving urban transformation
The Expo will bring together more than 600 global experts to share strategies, technologies and projects that are driving urban transformation under the theme, Time for Cities.
The conference programme will focus on eight key themes – Enabling Technologies, Energy & Environment, Mobility, Governance & Economy, Living & Inclusion, Infrastructure & Building, and Blue Economy – and address the most pressing urban challenges through a cross-sectoral lens, with a strong emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI), sustainability and inclusive development.
New areas such as AI-enabled cities and the Innovation Playground will showcase disruptive projects from startups, research centres and urban labs focused on artificial intelligence and city innovation
Nikki Greenberg is CEO of Real Estate of the Future and a strategic advisor in urban innovation. She trained in architecture and has led projects in New York and Sydney, and is a prominent voice in the digital transformation of the built environment. She has co-chaired the Technology & Innovation Council of the Urban Land Institute in New York City and her approach blends technology, design and future-focused thinking.
Ethical AI and data-driven decision-making in digital environments is the main focus of the work of Kate O’Neill, founder of KO Insights and author of several books on technology and human experience. She has worked with companies such as Netflix – where she pioneered its early content management function – IBM, Cisco and has worked with the United Nations in its AI Advisory Board meetings.
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Roundtables, Workshops and Networking Drinks: Barcelona 2025 (during Smart City Expo World Congress)Carlo Ratti is director of the MIT Senseable City Lab and founder of the design and innovation firm Carlo Ratti Associati. His work merges architecture, data science and sustainability, and has been recognised by the World Economic Forum. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in smart city design.
Other confirmed speakers include Patrick Child, deputy director general of environment at the European Commission, Matt Hale, deputy mayor of the City of Los Angeles, Monica Lucarelli, deputy mayor of the City of Rome and Jeff Merritt, head of urban transformation at the World Economic Forum.
SCEWC will feature over 1,000 exhibitors and is expected to welcome 25,000 attendees. It will also host delegations from more than 140 countries. New areas such as AI-enabled cities and the Innovation Playground will showcase disruptive projects from startups, research centres and urban labs focused on artificial intelligence and city innovation. Leading companies such as Microsoft, Nvidia, Dassault Systèmes, Dell, Deloitte, Veolia and Urbaser will be present, along with country pavilions from Japan, Germany, Mexico, South Korea and USA.
The event will be held alongside four co-located events: Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, focused on sustainable urban mobility; Tomorrow.Building, dedicated to innovative construction; Tomorrow.Blue Economy, exploring sustainable ocean-based industries; and the Barcelona Deep Tech Summit, highlighting scientific entrepreneurship and university spin-offs.
SmartCitiesWorld will once again be in attendance and we’ll be involved in a number of events, roundtables, workshops and drinks receptions. If you would like to meet any of our editorial team or be included on our invite list to exclusive events, then please let us know.
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