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November 3, 2025
Since its inaugural edition in 2011, the Smart City Expo World Congress has firmly established itself as the world’s most influential and largest gathering dedicated to cities and urban innovation. Hosted annually in the vibrant city of Barcelona, Spain, this extraordinary event unites a powerful ecosystem of visionary leaders, decision-makers, global corporations, governments, strategic organizations, entrepreneurs, and innovators from across the globe — representing countries such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany, India, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa, and many more — who drive meaningful change in how cities evolve and thrive.
From November 4th to 6th, 2025, the 14th edition of the Congress will bring together the brightest minds and showcase the most advanced technologies, actively shaping a new urban paradigm focused on sustainability, efficiency, resilience, and human-centric development.
Pioneering Sustainability and Diversity as Core Values
At the heart of Smart City Expo lies an unwavering commitment to sustainability and diversity — principles it has championed for over fourteen years. The event continuously promotes the creation of cities that are not only efficient and innovative but also inclusive, ensuring no individual or community is left behind.
The venue, Fira Barcelona, proudly holds ISO 14001 certification, the most respected international standard in environmental management. This certification reflects the venue’s rigorous environmental policies, aiming to minimize ecological impact and foster sustainable practices throughout the event’s lifecycle.
Smart City Expo consistently attracts disruptive brands, thought leaders, and changemakers from around the world. Together, they strive to build participatory, fairer, and greener cities through collaboration and shared vision.
Leading by Example with Toward Zero Waste Initiatives
The Congress demonstrates sustainability in action through its comprehensive “Towards Zero Waste” program. The event drastically reduces waste generation by integrating circular economy principles into every aspect of operations.
All venue decorations utilize circular materials, such as carpets made from recycled fibers and repurposed structures forming modular exhibition stands. Last year alone, the Congress reused an impressive 5,110 kilograms of materials and recycled over 11,100 kilograms of carpet.
Recognizing the urgent need to curb plastic pollution, organizers banned all single-use plastics across the venue five years ago. Attendees benefit from freely accessible water refill stations, saving approximately 38,000 disposable plastic cups during the 2024 edition. Waste segregation stations, placed strategically throughout both exhibition halls, empower visitors to dispose of waste responsibly, with trained volunteers providing guidance.
Reforesting and Offsetting Carbon Footprints
Smart City Expo actively supports global reforestation through partnerships with organizations like Plant for the Planet. Funds raised from attendee donations and merchandise sales facilitate the planting of thousands of new trees. In 2024, the donations aided the reforestation project in Doñana National Park — one of Spain’s most ecologically significant and protected natural areas, vital for preserving biodiversity.
Moreover, the Congress offsets all CO2 emissions generated during the event by purchasing Verified Emission Reduction Carbon Credits from sustainable projects worldwide. Attendees have the opportunity to offset emissions related to their travel and stay in Barcelona, fostering personal environmental responsibility. In 2024, the event offset approximately 150 tons of CO2 emissions.
Harnessing Renewable Energy and Smart Technologies
Fira Barcelona consumes electricity exclusively from renewable sources, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, tidal, geothermal, biomass, and biogas. This commitment reduces CO2 emissions by an estimated 12,500 tons annually across all venue activities, including exhibitions, congresses, and administrative functions.
The venue hosts one of the world’s largest rooftop photovoltaic solar installations, boasting nearly 26,000 solar panels over 135,000 square meters. This system generates approximately 5.86 gigawatt-hours of clean electricity per year, preventing over 2,200 tons of CO2 emissions annually.
In a pioneering effort within Spain, Fira Barcelona fully equips the venue with Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to optimize energy consumption dynamically. The event further minimizes its environmental footprint through widespread installation of low-energy LED lighting systems.
Ensuring Accessibility for All Attendees
Smart City Expo prioritizes inclusivity by ensuring full accessibility throughout the venue. Electric scooters serve visitors with reduced mobility, while designated seating spaces in food courts and Congress rooms accommodate wheelchairs and mobility devices.
The Congress caters to diverse dietary needs by offering a wide variety of meal options, including vegetarian, vegan, halal, and kosher menus. To combat food waste, surplus food is collected and donated to NGOs such as Nutrition Without Borders, which distributes meals through community kitchens.
Empowering Diversity and Social Inclusion
Each year, Smart City Expo curates a diverse, multidisciplinary lineup of over 600 speakers from a broad range of backgrounds and global regions, ensuring equal gender representation. A dedicated gender safety information and support point is available at the venue entrance.
The conference program highlights critical social themes including gender inclusivity, equality, accessibility, barrier-free design, and green urbanism. These sessions emphasize making both cities and events welcoming, equitable, and beneficial for all inhabitants. By fostering and celebrating diversity, the Congress acts as a powerful agent for positive social change.
The impact of this inclusive approach resonates not only during the three days of the event but extends far beyond, influencing urban development agendas worldwide.
An Unparalleled Global Platform for Urban Transformation
The Smart City Expo World Congress consistently attracts a remarkable audience, including more than 1,000 exhibitors, over 25,500 international visitors, and representatives from over 850 cities and 50 countries. With 55% of attendees holding senior management or decision-making roles, the event provides unmatched opportunities for business development, strategic partnerships, and market expansion.
Participants gain insights from more than 600 leading experts and industry executives who shape the global debate on the future of cities. This dynamic forum fosters knowledge exchange, innovation, and collaboration across public and private sectors, academia, startups, and civil society.
Why Attend Smart City Expo?
Smart City Expo has become the world’s benchmark event on urban development. Over three days, city officials, business executives, academics, and entrepreneurs from around the globe gather to accelerate sustainable urban futures.
Attendees learn from thought leaders at the Congress, discover innovations from over 1,100 exhibitors, and dive deep into pressing smart city topics through specialized side events. The event offers premier networking opportunities and a platform to close business deals and initiate collaborations.
One Venue Four Groundbreaking Events
In addition to the main Congress, Smart City Expo hosts four co-located events that focus on key urban challenges and cutting-edge solutions:
- Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress: Co-organized with EIT Urban Mobility, this event drives discussions on green, safe, and efficient urban transportation. It connects executives, government officials, researchers, entrepreneurs, and technical experts working to transform urban mobility.
- Tomorrow.Building World Congress: This congress champions innovation in the planning, construction, renovation, and operation of buildings and infrastructure. It accelerates the transition toward circular, digitalized, efficient, resilient, and net-zero urban environments.
- Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress: Dedicated to promoting the sustainable development of ocean-related economic activities, this summit highlights the immense potential of the Blue Economy as a driver for innovation and ecological stewardship.
- Barcelona Deep Tech Summit: Serving as a critical platform for deep technology innovators, this summit cultivates opportunities for startups, researchers, and industry leaders developing breakthrough technologies to change the future.
Together, these events create a holistic ecosystem that addresses multiple dimensions of urban transformation.
A Record-Breaking 2024 Edition Sets the Stage for 2025
The 2024 Smart City Expo World Congress, together with its co-located events, attracted over 25,700 visitors representing more than 850 cities worldwide. It broke records for attendance, knowledge exchange, and business generation.
Participants praised the quality of networking and the innovative solutions presented. The event created a vibrant environment for active problem-solving and fostered collaborative approaches toward building better urban futures.
Recognizing Excellence Through the World Smart City Awards
The World Smart City Awards celebrate outstanding projects and visionary initiatives from cities, businesses, entrepreneurs, social organizations, and individuals. These awards recognize innovative ideas, analyses, and solutions that advance the management and sustainable development of urban environments globally.
Participation spans both the public and private sectors, fostering collaboration between governments, companies, civic tech groups, research centers, universities, cooperatives, and activists dedicated to positive urban change.
Barcelona and Spain as the Ideal Hosts for Urban Innovation
Barcelona’s legacy as a forward-thinking, sustainable, and culturally rich city makes it the perfect host for this landmark event. The city’s iconic landmarks, such as the magnificent La Sagrada Família, exemplify the blending of art, architecture, and nature — mirroring the Expo’s vision of cities harmonizing with the environment.
The bustling tree-lined boulevard La Rambla and the gourmet Mercat de la Boqueria market provide visitors with authentic local experiences, while museums like Museo del Prado and Centro de Arte Reina Sofía enrich the cultural itinerary.
Barcelona-El Prat Airport (officially Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport) connects the city with over 135 countries, offering seamless international access. Spain’s extensive air network also includes key hubs like Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, Málaga-Costa del Sol Airport, and Palma de Mallorca Airport, facilitating travel for attendees and tourists alike.
Spanish airlines such as Vueling, Iberia, Volotea, and Air Europa provide comprehensive flight options across Europe and beyond, ensuring convenient connections to Barcelona and other major urban centers.
Accommodations ranging from the modern and well-appointed Ibis Madrid Aeropuerto Barajas to centrally located hotels like Hotel Príncipe Pío and Hotel Puerta de Toledo offer comfortable stays with easy access to city attractions and transport.
Smart City Expo World Congress 2025 promises to be a landmark occasion that not only inspires but also mobilizes stakeholders worldwide to drive sustainable, inclusive, and innovative urban development. By uniting a global community of experts, policymakers, businesses, and citizens, the Congress accelerates the evolution of cities into thriving, resilient, and people-centered ecosystems.
As we enter the next phase of the “Century of Cities,” Smart City Expo stands at the forefront, helping shape an urban legacy that prioritizes environmental stewardship, social equity, and technological progress. Join this transformative journey from November 4th to 6th in Barcelona — and be a catalyst for the cities of tomorrow.
