For the second consecutive year, ICF partnered with the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, the largest annual Smart City conference in the world.
This year, ICF coordinated a VIP Delegation with a curated agenda for the week, bringing together participants from around the world to explore, learn, and contribute to the conversations defining how cities adapt, innovate, and thrive.
Urban Impact Lab: Urgency Edition
The week began on 3 November at the Urban Impact Lab: Urgency Edition, organized by BABLE Smart Cities. Taking place at The 19th Hole, a unique venue with amazing views of Barcelona, the Urban Impact Lab event brought together city leaders, innovators, and partners to for a day packed with bold ideas, honest conversations, and hands-on collaboration. Highlights included the Crisis Shark Tank and the Mayor’s Roundtable.
ICF co-developed a workshop with the Canadian Urban Institute titled Designing Innovation Centers: Districts, Campuses and Ecosystems Driving Prosperity.
This session, featuring Michael Donaldson from Barcelona, Dr. Adrian Johnston from Belfast and Ronald Otten from Limburg, looked at the critical role innovation districts play in addressing economic stagnation, talent flight, and regional competitiveness. After the presentations, Kelly Rowe of the Canadian Urban Institute guided participants on a workshop exercise where they split into groups and brainstormed potential innovation ecosystem ideas for the city of Bologna, Italy. This engaging session set the tone for what was to come.
The Smart City Expo World Congress
From Tuesday through Thursday, we attended the Smart City Expo World Congress, along with thousands of urban practitioners, technologists, elected officials, and innovators from around the world.
Throughout the week, we explored pavilions, engaged in conversations with cities and companies, and attended throught-provoking panels and presentations. Our group was given a VIP Expo Tour led by Marta Bisquerra of the Expo team, which included exhibit visits and presentations from EIT Urban Mobility, Dassault Systèmes, the City of Madrid, and the Riyadh Infrastructure Projects Center.
For me, some other excellent exhibits included the North Texas Innovation Alliance, the Black Arcs platform, Khobar City’s transformation in Saudi Arabia, and Yokohama’s upcoming 2027 Green Expo. But these were only some of the dozens of interesting exhibits worth exploring. And if you were lucky, you might have encountered the guys from Bavaria - one dressed like a pretzel - and heard some fun German music.
The ICF/Dentons AI Panel: Redefining “Smart”
On Wednesday, ICF and Dentons hosted the Agora panel Redefining “Smart” in an Age of AI, Connected Systems & Data.
Panelists included Todd Daubert of Dentons, Taj Forer of Litehouse, Megan Higgins of PwC UK, and Jacqueline Lu of Helpful Places, and it was moderated by Dentons partner Katarzyna Sliwa. The session emphasized that successful smart cities are not built on technology alone. They depend on trust, transparency and strong community engagement. In an era of rapid innovation, ensuring that AI-driven systems serve people first is key to building sustainable, connected and inclusive communities. Success also depends on maintaining focus on solving real problems using technology appropriate for the solution rather than focusing on all of the possibilities that technologies may offer.
A recording of the conversation will be released soon on both ICF’s and Dentons’ channels.
For me, a meaningful highlight came the night before the panel. At dinner with the panel speakers, with the exception of Megan Higgins, who was still en route to Barcelona, but with the addition of Emma Hand of Dentons and T.J. Mimbs of Litehouse, we talked candidly about how AI is reshaping our lives. There’s something different about sitting around a table, away from stages and microphones, hearing how thought leaders think when they’re not presenting, but simply conversing and allowing for thoughts to bounce off one another.
The panel felt like a continuation of that dinner conversation. Threads that had been explored informally emerged again on stage, shaped by the collective intelligence of the group and the energy of the room. Those are the moments that make these delegations powerful.
The 22@ Innovation District
The 22@ Innovation District, which started its development in the early 2000s, is home to over 1,500 companies related to audiovisual, information technology, energy, design and scientific research. On Wednesday evening, we attended an Afterwork Reception hosted by the 22@ Network, featuring local companies and international delegations. One such international delegation was from the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Espírito Santo, or FAPES, which works to promote science, technology, innovation, and outreach through partnerships and funding initiatives, with the goal of integrating diverse sectors of society in building sustainable development in Espírito Santo, Brazil.
On Thursday, we explored firsthand the ongoing developments inside Barcelona’s 22@ Innovation District with a site visit led by 22@’s Vicky Borrás. Once an industrial quarter, the 22@ Innovation District has become one of Spain’s most vibrant hubs for startups, research centers, and innovation-driven urban development.
For this visit, we were joined by representatives from the West of England Combined Authority and from the Greater Paris Metropolis, each bringing their own regional perspectives and experiences into the conversation.
VIP Delegation Dinner
The trip concluded on Thursday evening with one of the most memorable experiences of the week: a VIP Delegation Dinner at El Café de La Pedrera, followed by the La Pedrera Night Experience. Under Gaudí’s illuminated arches, with panoramic views of the city’s rooftops, we were immersed in the artistic and cultural dimension that makes Barcelona a global center of inspiration.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, ICF is planning future VIP Delegations to events around the world. For a full list of upcoming trips, click here, and fill out this form if you would like to receive more information.
Our next VIP Delegation to Europe takes place 15 to 19 June 2026, built around the Top7 Conference and Announcement in the Province of Limburg, Netherlands. With a regional population of just over 1,100,000 people, the Province of Limburg has developed an "ecosystem of ecosystems" to set up their region for prosperity. Brightlands, which is the name innovative Limburg uses to present itself and the name under which they achieved 2025 Smart21 recognition, and the four innovation campuses at its heart bring together entrepreneurship and science. They are the engines driving innovation in an international region where innovation has no limits. Delegates will also get the chance to visit Eindhoven, the 2011 Intelligent Community of the Year, for a deeper look at innovation-led intelligent community development.
A Final Thanks
Thank you to everyone who joined the Barcelona delegation – and to those who met with us – for your support of our mission, for your insights, and for your willingness to share your ideas.
We look forward to continuing the conversations started in Barcelona, and to continuing to grow our communities together.
