Fira de Barcelona plans to organise 10 trade shows abroad in 2025
Smart City Expo grows in Brazil and bets on transforming cities to build happiness
Fira de Barcelona kicks off its 2025 cycle of international events in the Brazilian city of Curitiba. Under the theme “Transforming Cities: Building Happiness”, Smart City Expo Curitiba (SCECWB) will hold its 6th edition from March 25 to 27 to promote an urban transformation aimed at the well-being of citizens. The congress, which moves to the Ligga Arena located in the centre of Curitiba, will increase its number of exhibitors to 120 and will bring together 180 speakers, and expects to receive 20 thousand visitors. This is the first of the 10 events that Fira de Barcelona will organise abroad throughout 2025, as part of its internationalisation strategy.
The event, promoted by the prefecture of Curitiba led by Mayor Eduardo Pimentel and organized by Fira de Barcelona and iCities, has the support of Vale do Pinhao, the city’s Innovation Agency. The conference programme is designed to address the main challenges faced by cities, with a special focus on the problems of Latin American cities. The presentations will be structured around eight thematic tracks: Sustainable cities and climate change, Resilience and urban renewal, Governance and digital citizens, Cities for people and well-being, Digital transformation and Innovation, Technology and disruptive business, and two new themed events such as Tomorrow.Building and Tomorrow.Mobility.
Among the keynote speakers are Edson Yabiku, a Brazilian architect who has worked both in Japan and in London, in the office of Norman Foster; the Canadian urban planner Charles Montgomery, author of the bestseller Happy City, which argues that the design of cities can generate happiness in their inhabitants; and the Brazilian artist Márcio Ballas, a reference in Clown techniques and improvisation.
In addition, SCECWB will also have an exhibition area where it will bring together 120 exhibitors and partners. Among the companies and institutions present are Dassault Systems, Ligga Telecom, NEC, Polkadot and TIM, who will showcase solutions and technologies capable of promoting and collaborating in sustainable urban transformation.
Brazilian Awards
SCECWB 2025 will host the second edition of the Brazilian Awards, awards aimed at recognizing initiatives and companies with outstanding projects in the field of urban innovation in Brazil. In total, five awards will be presented in the categories of Innovation and Digital Transformation, Sustainable City, Urban Mobility, Social Equity, and Smart City of Brazil.
Leader in sustainability and inclusivity
In 2025, SCECWB will redouble its commitment to inclusivity and sustainability in the event itself. Thus, the event will offset 100% of the CO2 emissions generated, avoid single-use plastics, and recycle 90% of the materials used during the celebration. In addition, it has planned systems to enable people with motor, hearing and neurodivergence impairments to attend the event and follow all the presentations.
Fira de Barcelona, an international platform
SCECWB is the first of the many events that Fira de Barcelona is organising outside Spain in 2025. With 10 confirmed events, the trade fair institution reinforces its expansion strategy abroad. Among the scheduled events are other editions of Smart City Expo in New York (USA), Puebla (Mexico), Santiago del Estero (Chile), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) and Tomorrow City Shanghai. In addition, Fira will also hold Mexico Hospitality Expo, IOT Brazil (Sao Paulo), and Alimentaria Chengdu in China.
Barcelona – March 24th, 2025
Folc Lecha
+34 93 233 35 55
flecha@firabarcelona.com