In Brazil or around the world, there are a lot of events for those who want to know more about cities
If smart cities were once the subject of science fiction or a distant future, today the theme could not be more popular: with an increasing interest from public managers and private initiatives, smart cities are now a reality. From mobile applications to 5G technology or the Internet of Things (IoT), our daily lives have never been so connected, efficient and shared.
Aware of these innovations, events focused on smart cities keep coming up, with each new edition bringing more disruptives technologies and innovations to cities. Listed below are the ones you can’t miss during 2020.
Worldwide
World Urban Forum (WUF10) (February 8-13, 2020, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates): organized by UN-Habitat, the Forum has become the main international meeting for the exchange of views and experiences on sustainable urbanization. In its tenth edition, it is the most important international meeting on urban issues hosted by United Nations.
IIOT World Day (June 30 – July 1, virtual conferece): first Global Digital Publication focused on Connected Industry, Industrial Internet of Things, Industry 4.0, the event will bring together experts from all over the world to share insights on their digital transformation journey, focusing on trends, challenges, concerns, best practices, the development of compelling business models for transitioning to IoT technologies and real case studies.
IEEE International Smart Cities Conference (September 28 – October 1, 2020, online): the online event is the flagship IEEE Smart Cities event which brings together practitioners, city policymakers & administrators, infrastructure operators, industry representatives and researchers to present technologies and applications, share their experiences & views with current and future Smart Cities applications.
Smart City Expo Latam Latin America (October 13-15, Merida, México): the Latin American edition of the Smart City Expo, one of the world’s greatest events dedicated to smart city solutions.
UN World Data Forum (October 19-21, 2020, online): in its third edition, the forum seeks to intensify cooperation between various professional groups, addressing information technology, geospatial information, data scientists and users, as well as the civil society stakeholders to discuss the sustainable development of communities around the world.
Smart City Expo World Congress (November 17-18, online): the world’s leading event focused on smart cities and urban solutions. Through promoting social innovation, establishing partnerships and identifying business opportunities, the event is dedicated to creating a better future for cities and their citizens worldwide.
CES Smart Cities (January 11-14, 2021, Las Vegas, USA): focusing on technology, the event addresses with its intensive congress agenda the key solutions in IoT, 5G connectivity and Artificial Intelligence for cities.
South by Southwest (SXSW) (March 16-20, 2020, Austin, USA): ten days bringing together sessions, conferences, exhibitions and a variety of meetings. One of its most expected conferences is Government and Politics, which discusses issues such as technology regulation, livable cities, privacy, and the challenges of maintaining civil engagement in the age of social media.
BforPlanet (May 25-27, 2021, Barcelona, Spain): in its first edition, the event is structured around a Congress, which will discuss the most critical issues facing the world today, and an exhibitor zones. The goal is to create a platform for adressing the SDGs in cities, in the spirit of Goal 17: “strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development”.
Smart Cities International Symposium & Exhibition (January 21-22, 2020, Chicago, USA): the event brings together leaders and professionals from around the world to explore the latest urban technology advances, business models and lessons learned so far. The emphasis is on technology strategy, case studies and the development of compelling business models for the 21st century.
Smart City Expo Atlanta (June 9-10, 2021, Atlanta, USA): the only North American edition of the Smart City Expo World Congress, the world’s premier conference and exhibition of smart cities and urban solutions. Its latest edition has received more than 24 people from 700 cities around the world.
Expo Dubai (October 1, 2021 – March 31, 2022, Dubai, United Arab Emirates): held every five years, the global event chose Dubai to host its 2020 edition. In addition to Sustainability, the exhibition will address two other major areas: Opportunity and Mobility. Within them, the pavilions of 190 countries will be distributed according to what most closely matches their themes and attractions.
Other events
National Shared Mobility Summit (Chicago, USA)
CoMotion LA (Los Angeles, USA)
City Summit (San Antonio, EUA)
Smart City Expo Australia (Sidney, Australia)
Brazil
Connected Smart Cities (September 9-10, 2020, São Paulo): involving companies, entities and governments in one place, the event aims to find the DNA of innovation and improvements for smarter and more connected cities, either they small or big ones. In four editions, the event has gathered more than 7000 participants and 200 representatives of city halls.
Circuito Urbano 2020 (October, online): since 2018, UN-Habitat Brazil has organized the Urban Circuit: an initiative to institutionally support and give visibility to events organized by different actors in order to celebrate Urban October – a period that begins with World Habitat Day (first Monday) and ends with World Cities Day (October 31).
Futurecom Congress (October 26-30, 2020, São Paulo): considered one of the largest events in Latin America in technology, telecommunications and digital transformation, the congress addresses Connectivity (5G, IoT), Disruptive Technologies (Blockchain, Intelligence Artificial Machine Learning) and Digital Transformation Solutions.
Smart City Business Congress & Expo (November 10-12, 2020, São Paulo): with a purposeful focus, it stands out for bringing together leaders from the public and private sectors to create an energetic environment for dialogue on topics of interest to cities. The goal is to take action, being an effective platform for business opportunities.
Welcome Tomorrow (November 12-14, 2020, São Paulo): focused on our future, mobility and technology, it has become one of the largest Brazilian events focused on innovation. Bringing together exhibitors and a congress area, it presents the most innovative initiatives in health, government, motoring and urbanism.
Smart City Session 2020 (December 8-9, 2020, online): 100% online, the event will bring together national and international speakers to talk about governance and economics, the legacy of the pandemic and the resilience of urban spaces.
Govtech Brasil 2020 (1 semester of 2021, São Paulo): held by the brazilian organization BrazilLAB, the event brings together, in two days of events, the presence of Brazilian and foreign public managers and specialists to talk about the most is fundamental theme for the country’s development: innovation in the public sector.
Smart City Expo Curitiba (2021, Curitiba): Brazil’s largest smart cities event, the third edition will bring together scholars, investors, startups, public managers and third sector entities to discuss the future of cities, focusing on improving the lives of citizens. Its second edition, held in 2019, received over 6,700 participants. For 2021, the event promises to innovate by being carried out in a hybrid way, both physically and online.
Other events
Big Data Week (São Paulo)
27ª Congresso Mundial de Arquitetos no Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro)
Summit Mobilidade Urbana (São Paulo)
Encontro Internacional de Inovação em Governo (São Paulo)
Conferência Ethos 360 (São Paulo)
Festival ODS (São Paulo)
