The Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchú, keynote speaker
Smart City Expo Latam Congress puts urban innovation at the service of equity
Smart City Expo Latam Congress (SCELC) celebrates its 11th edition from June 2 to 4, 2026, in Puebla (Mexico) with a proposal focused on how urban innovation can become a driver of shared prosperity. Organised by Fira de Barcelona, the event is expected to bring together more than 8,500 attendees, with the participation of 120 speakers and more than 220 companies and institutions, consolidating itself as a key meeting point on smart cities in Latin America.
Organised by Fira de Barcelona with the collaboration of Pronus and hosted by the Government of the State of Puebla and the Government of the City of Puebla, this year SCELC will focus on ensuring that the development of cities is accompanied by real opportunities for all citizens, making technological innovation and economic growth compatible with social cohesion.
Under the slogan “Urban innovation, shared prosperity”, the congress will articulate its programme around five main thematic axes: digital innovation, equitable society, sustainable environment, economic prosperity, and mobility and urban space. For three days, public officials, international organizations, companies and experts will share experiences and solutions aimed at promoting more inclusive, resilient cities prepared for future challenges.
Among the 120 top-level speakers who will be present in Puebla is the Guatemalan indigenous leader and activist Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1992. SCELC will also feature the participation of Rosario Marin, former mayor of Huntington Park and former Treasurer of the United States, and Fernanda Lonardoni, UN-Habitat representative for Mexico, Cuba and Central America. All of them will analyse the challenges and opportunities of Latin American cities from a global and local perspective.
In parallel, the event will also feature more than 220 companies and institutions linked to the future of urban environments, including the United States Department of State, UN Women, the RECI Smart Cities Network, the World Association of Large Metropolises, Mercocuidades and the World Ocean Council (WOC).
Latam Smart City Awards
SCELC will once again include in its programme a new edition of the Latam Smart City Awards, which recognise cities and projects that are leading urban innovation in the region. The awards will distinguish initiatives in the categories of Latam City, Digital Transformation, Sustainable Urban Development and Mobility, and Equitable and Collaborative Society.
Likewise, the event will also be a key meeting point for exchange between local governments. In this framework, the National Meeting of Mayors will be held, promoted by the National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development (INAFED), which will bring together thousands of mayors from all over Mexico and reinforce the role of the event as a strategic space for institutional cooperation and the definition of urban public policies.
Fira de Barcelona in the world
Smart City Expo Latam, in Puebla (Mexico), is part of the calendar of events that Fira de Barcelona is organising outside Spain in 2026. Among the events included in this programme are the respective editions of Smart City Expo in Curitiba (Brazil), Doha (Qatar), Santiago del Estero (Argentina), Santiago de Chile (Chile) and Santiago de Cali (Colombia), as well as Tomorrow.City in Shanghai and the United States, the second edition of Mexico Hospitality Expo in Guadalajara (Mexico) and a new edition of Tomorrow.Blue Economy in Niterói (Brazil).
In addition to all these events, the first editions of Argentina Alimenta, in Buenos Aires, and Aqaba Blue Ocean Future in Action, in Jordan, are also included.