Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Smart City Fair is moving from its June date to 2 and 3 September 2020. On those days, all participants and representatives of European initiatives and grant providers who set conditions for SC and the direction of smart cities at European level will be able to meet up at the Brno Exhibition Centre.
SC professionals and representatives of companies who offer targeted solutions, together with representatives of local governments and active citizens looking for these solutions will gather in one place. There will be above all representatives of lighthouse projects who will share their experience and present ways to implement smart solutions in practical life.
“I see the URBIS Smart City Fair 2020 primarily as an opportunity cities and regions across Europe to meet and share knowledge and experience with the use of new technologies in public administration. This year's focus of the fair on mitigating the impact of COVID-19 is opportune and this event can show not only to the city of Brno some examples of good practice from all around the world that will help to cope with the situation we are facing,” says Deputy Mayor of Brno Tomáš Koláčný.
The third season of this expo will offer even more space and topics than previous in the previous years. The main thematic pillars will be complemented by key issues of the present time. In this respect, the fair will bring smart solutions to mitigate the negative impact in the context of the spread of COVID-19 and possible ways to restart the economy in the period of the upcoming recession. The experience of public administration representatives in recent months and successfully implemented solutions in this crisis situation will be discussed. The fair will also show what technological and organizational measures to use, where to look for savings effectively and how to ensure further sustainable development of local governments.
“We are working hard to prepare the event in order to make it as purposeful as possible. Thanks to the participation of European representatives and local governments with experience in SC issues across Europe, there is a unique opportunity to present smart solutions or practices. If you have a solution that can in any way help self-governments to be innovative and manage problems or challenges, you are still welcome to introduce them. Simply get in touch with our team,“ said Martin Videczký, director of the URBIS Smart City Fair.
This year, the expo will welcome a significant representation of the European EIP-SCC platform. The European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities is an organization supported by the European Commission. The platform brings together cities, small and medium-sized enterprises, industry representatives, investors and scientists to address smart cities. Together they strive to share know-how, higher efficiency of services, infrastructure and technological improvements that lead to the growth of these companies. The platform will not only have its own display at the expo, but will also hold a public meeting featuring presentations by representatives of the European Commission and EIP-SCC, and meetings of individual thematic initiatives. The representatives will share their experience gained so far and plans of the EC and individual initiatives for local governments will also be discussed. As part of the programme, local government representatives will have the opportunity to communicate their needs and views.
“We see it as a great opportunity to address the Central-Eastern Europe region, and the URBIS Smart City Fair has the ambition to be an ideal platform for sharing experiences, a venue for discussing future directions or a place to identify the real needs of local governments. Brno will thus join the virtual map of Smart City events in Europe alongside the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona and the Nordic Edge Expo in Stavanger, Norway," said Georg Houben, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy.
2 + 1 Days of Inspiration programme
The first two days of the expo will offer a rich programme at the Brno Exhibition Centre. The main stage will bring a comprehensive overview and executive summary of Smart Cities issues. Conferences, workshops, expert panels, presentations of exhibiting technology companies and professionals will be staged. The third day will bring specific examples of successful implementation of smart solutions directly in South Moravian companies.
Another new feature is the URBIS CITY simulation, which will offer viewing of individual smart solutions directly at the Brno Exhibition Centre and provide a clear answer to the question of what such solutions look like in practical life.
URBIS Gold Medal and URBIS SPEAKER AWARD
The Gold Medal has a tradition of almost 60 years and is associated with the selection of the best that the expo offers. The prize is awarded by an expert jury consisting of Czech and international experts. This prestigious award is one of the arguments that may convince customers about the quality of the given smart solution. This year, the jury will focus mainly on individual categories of the presented products and innovative solutions.
URBIS SPEAKER AWARD will be handed on the basis of visitors' votes. They will choose the most beneficial performances of the attending speakers. The most interesting information or experience in a discipline will be awarded with this unique quality certificate.
Please follow the website www.smartcityfair.cz, which is continuously updated with the latest info.
