Mérida, Yucatán hosts the International Congress of Smart Cities

Mérida, Yucatán, October 14, 2020.- With an online message, Governor Mauricio Vila Dosal inaugurated the fifth edition of the Smart City Expo Latam Congress, an event that brings together prominent agents of urban transformation to work and establish alliances for the resilience and reactivation of the cities and territories of Latin America.

During the broadcast, the president recognized the efforts of the organizing committee to transfer the format to virtual mode. He declared that “in Yucatan, we are convinced that there are events that due to their importance cannot be postponed, an example of this is this space that offers us an opportunity to rethink the future of Latin America.”

“Like every edition, this event continues to be characterized by being inclusive, this is how it will have the participation of academics, local governments, experts, representatives of companies, society in general and anyone who is committed to change”, he claimed.

He also stressed that “an added value will be given, since it will also be a space to exchange successful experiences on issues such as community resilience, digital transformation and economic reconstruction, which are essential to continue facing this pandemic, without neglecting the long-term development of our cities ”.

Vila Dosal also announced that next year Yucatán will host this congress. “In 2021, we will be waiting for you in Yucatán so that smart cities in Latin America can continue to be built,” he added.

For the first time online, this international meeting will last until October 15, with the participation of more than 13 thousand virtual accredited persons, more than 100 companies and institutions, and 55 collaborating media or media partners.

With the support of the State Government and the Smart Latam Alliance, the content is transmitted free of charge through the platform  www.smartcityexpolatam.com , thus reaching a greater global audience; In addition, it complements its value offer with tickets at a special cost to network and generates networking opportunities.

For her part, Pilar Conesa, curator of the Smart City Expo Latam Congress, commented that “the pandemic has had a negative impact on our lives but it has also accelerated transformations and opened opportunities on how to face the future of our planet.

“Accompanied by the Director of International Business of Fira Barcelona International, Ricard Zapatero, she recalled that among the key topics of the program are the local management of the pandemic, the social and economic reactivation, the response to the climate emergency and the acceleration of the transformation digital.

The event is organized by Fira Barcelona México and, by promoting links between the main agents of urban transformation in the public and private sectors, it is recognized as a leading forum for smart cities, in order to promote projects aimed at reactivating and building more inclusive territories, resilient and sustainable.

This year, under the slogan “Resilience and planning: devising the future of Latin America”, there will be the intervention of nearly 300 speakers from countries such as the United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina, among others.

The program also includes presentations on topics such as public health and community resilience, smart and sustainable mobility, energy, education, welfare and social innovation, and integrated water management.

Among the benefits of participating, the possibility of establishing links with potential clients, learning about world trends, exchanging ideas and knowledge with specialists in the field, creating strategic relationships with other actors, as well as exposing your projects and innovations to national and international visitors stands out.

The opening ceremony was attended by the head of the Ministry of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu), Román Meyer Falcón; the president of Fira Barcelona México, Manuel Redondo; the coordinator of the National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development (Inafed), Rafael Cortés, and the regional representative for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Program for Human Settlements (UN-Habitat), Elkin Velásquez.