About the Smart City Expo World Congress

Smart City Expo World Congress is the world’s biggest and most influential event for cities and urban innovation. The event is a premier venue where a diverse crowd of industry executives, government leaders, researchers and entrepreneurs gather annually to revisit complex issues at the heart of a new model of city and society.

This year’s event is expecting more than 25,000 visitors, that will have access to more than 1,100 exhibitors and 600 speakers from more than 130 countries around the globe.

You can find out more information at https://www.smartcityexpo.com/

Join the Intelligent Community Forum this November for our activities taking place at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.

ICF Sessions

3 November 18:05 to 18:50 - Expo Stage Session: From Tech Investment to City Impact: Maximizing Return on Smart City Innovation

Location: Smart City Expo Stage: Cities X People

Communities worldwide are investing heavily in AI, digital infrastructure and smart city technologies. But similar investments do not guarantee similar outcomes, as maximizing return requires more than technology alone. Explore how effective governance, cross-sector collaboration, workforce development and long-term strategy combine to transform technology investments into lasting economic growth, resilience and improved quality of life.

Speakers include:

• Todd Daubert, Partner, Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Sector Leader, and Chair of the Communications and Technology Group, Dentons
• Peter Portheine, Director, Eindhoven International Project Office (EIPO)
• Katarzyna Sliwa, Partner, Dentons (Moderator)

 

       

 

This session is being produced in partnership with

4 November from 09:30 to 15:30 - ICF Side Event: From Smart to Intelligent: The Human Element of Communities in an Age of AI

Location: Zone: CC4 – Room 4.4

09:30: Doors Open, Coffee and Networking

10:00: Welcome & Introduction

• Katarzyna Sliwa, Partner, Dentons
• Matthew Owen, Executive Director, Intelligent Community Forum

     

10:10: The Artificial Intelligent Community Dilemma: AI, Privacy and the Limits of Smart Technology

AI is giving communities powerful new tools to improve public services, strengthen public safety, manage infrastructure and better understand the needs of their residents. But as these technologies become more capable, community leaders face an increasingly difficult question: just because a community can use a technology, does that mean it should? 

The discussion will explore the ethical dilemmas emerging as AI and data-driven technologies become embedded in everyday community life. From the collection and protection of residents’ data to AI-powered decision-making, facial recognition and automated license plate reader networks such as Flock cameras, new capabilities are challenging traditional ideas about privacy, consent, transparency and government accountability. Finally, the panel will explore how leaders can overcome these trust issues to bring this technology into their communities.

Speakers include:

• Todd Daubert, Partner and Chair of Communications and Technology Group at Dentons
• Jacqueline Lu, CEO and Founder, Helpful Places; Urbanist-in-Residence, School of Cities, University of Toronto

     

This session is being produced in partnership with

 

11:00: The Physical Cost of the Digital Future: Power, Water and Land in the Age of AI

AI and other emerging technologies are often discussed as part of a digital economy, but their rapid growth is creating very physical demands on communities. Data centers and advanced computing infrastructure require enormous amounts of electricity, significant water resources for cooling and large amounts of land, while also placing new pressures on energy grids and other local infrastructure.

As demand for AI computing continues to grow, communities face difficult choices about how to accommodate this new infrastructure while protecting the resources needed by residents, businesses and future development. At the same time, communities that plan effectively may find significant opportunities to attract investment, strengthen their technology sectors and develop new energy and infrastructure solutions.

This session will explore all of this and more while trying to answer a key question: how do we build the physical infrastructure required for the next generation of technology without overwhelming the resources that communities already depend on?

Speakers include:

• Katarzyna Sliwa, Partner, Leader of the Municipal Planning, Land Use and Development Law Group, Dentons (Moderator)

This session is being produced in partnership with

 

11:50: Presentation: Helpful Places

Speakers include:

• Jacqueline Lu, CEO and Founder, Helpful Places; Urbanist-in-Residence, School of Cities, University of Toronto

This session is being produced in partnership with

 

12:10: Break

 

13:00: Welcome Back

• Todd Daubert, Partner and Chair of Communications and Technology Group at Dentons
• Matthew Owen, Executive Director, Intelligent Community Forum

   

13:10: Innovation Ecosystem Introduction

Speaker to be announced soon.

13:20: Building the Innovation Ecosystem: Turning Communities into Hotbeds for Startups and Innovation

What does it take to turn a community into a place where entrepreneurs, startups and new ideas can thrive? Successful innovation ecosystems rarely emerge from a single investment, organization or initiative. They are built through connections between government, universities, businesses, investors, entrepreneurs and the institutions that bring them together.

The discussion will examine how communities can develop and connect the different pieces of an innovation ecosystem, from physical innovation districts and startup support to research partnerships, access to capital, talent development and public-private collaboration. Panelists will share lessons from their own work building these environments and discuss how communities can move beyond individual programs to create an ecosystem where startups can launch, companies can grow, ideas can move from research to market and innovation becomes a lasting part of the local economy.

Speakers include:

• Kelly Rowe, Founder, City Action Lab

14:10: Break

14:20: Panel Discussion: Beyond Smart Cities: Spain’s Intelligent Community Movement

Spain is emerging as a global leader in the development of communities that use technology, innovation and collaboration to create stronger economies and a higher quality of life for their citizens. But becoming an Intelligent Community requires more than deploying smart infrastructure. It means connecting digital transformation with economic development, workforce and talent, sustainability, inclusion and long-term community strategy.

Through the experiences of these three communities, the discussion will explore how Spanish cities are turning innovation into measurable community impact, the different strategies they have adopted to address local opportunities and challenges, and what other cities and regions can learn from Spain’s growing Intelligent Community movement.

Note: this session will take place in Spanish, with AI-generated English translation available.

Speakers include:

• José Guillén Parra, First Deputy Mayor, City of Murcia, Spain
• Marc Sanderson, Advisor to the Mayor for City Promotion & Investment Attraction and the Director of the Malaga Open For Business Office, City of Malaga, Spain
• Jaime Santamarta Martínez, City Councillor for Environmental, Urban Services, Smart City & Transport, Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain
• Agustin Argelich, Principal, Argelich Networks; Senior Fellow, Intelligent Community Forum (Moderator)

                   

This session is being produced in partnership with

This event is receiving additional support from

 

Register

Register now to guarantee your spot at the 4 November side event.