Helsinki at the Smart City Expo: our hopes for the international innovation event

Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona has provided cities around the world with the opportunity to collaborate, develop innovation activities, and network in the field of urban innovations every year since 2011. Known as the world’s largest and most influential innovation event, it aims to strengthen the development of better cities for everyone. This year, the event is expected to attract 25,000 participants from 850 cities. There will be over a thousand exhibitors and more than 600 speakers.

Helsinki will be showcasing our expertise in sustainable urban solutions. We attend the Expo together with Stockholm and Oslo at the Nordic Capitals booth, part of The Nordics & the Baltics Pavilion. We will present Finnish top work in the green transition and our testbed platform activities. Our program is built around three main themes: circular economy in construction, cities as testbeds, and the future of energy. With us, eight companies are attending the event: Spolia Design Oy, Tommila Architects, Bout, Sitowise, Kausal, Pictue, Eeneman ja Ekotekt. Additionally, representatives from Forum Virium Helsinki, Finnish AI Regionin (FAIR), Helen and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences will be at our booth.

What do we expect from the Smart City Expo?

1. Nordic cooperation 

We are participating in the Smart City Expo as a united Nordic front with Oslo and Stockholm. Visitors of the Nordic Capitals area will get to know the urban development work, innovation services, and testbed platform highlights of the three cities.

– Last year’s Smart City Expo saw meaningful and very smooth Nordic cooperation. All three cities definitely wanted to attend the event together again this year. Helsinki, Stockholm, and Oslo share the same challenges and opportunities related to the green transition. Dialogue between the Nordic capitals is important now and in the future, says Kimmo Heinonen, Team Manager of Innovation Services at Business Helsinki.

2. International networking for companies 

For the companies showcasing the benefits of our testbed platform activities and Finnish innovative expertise at the Smart City Expo, the event is an excellent opportunity to network with international actors working towards the same goals. They also have the possibility to present their products and services to a wide audience.

– Participating in the Expo with a larger delegation multiplies the chances of finding the right contacts at the event. The preparation work for the Expo has also been done in collaboration with other participants. We have received training from Business Helsinki for example in pitching, and the preparation itself has been rewarding and educational, says Miia-Liina Tommila from Tommila Architects, and continues:

– For us, the Smart City Expo is an opportunity to clarify the strategic focus areas of our business. At the same time, we can strengthen relationships with existing partners. The role of an architect in projects is to pull the strings together and show direction. It is important for us to understand developments in different fields, and the Expo provides an overview of what is being discussed globally and where urban development is heading.

Teemu Terttunen from Bout also has high expectations for the event:

– It feels particularly great to participate in the Smart City Expo with Business Helsinki, because Helsinki is our hometown and where Bout started. The Smart City Expo offers a fantastic opportunity for our company to develop water transportation worldwide. We look forward to international networking, such as discussions with representatives from other countries and cities.

3. Sharing expertise and learning new

Helsinki is in many ways a pioneer in some of the topics at the Smart City Expo. Our many years of experience in areas such as circular economy in construction and testbed platform activities attract international interest, and last year they excited visitors to our booth. Our program includes themes different from last year as well, such as the future of energy and smart mobility.

Representatives from the Finnish AI Region (FAIR) will also be traveling with us. The City of Helsinki, as the coordinator of the project, is strongly involved in developing societal AI expertise. AI and other new technologies have enormous potential in the world of sustainable urban solutions.

– We aim to expand and accelerate the adoption of AI in SMEs and thus develop societal AI expertise. We want to improve the competitiveness of companies both in Finland and in global markets. The Smart City Expo is an excellent opportunity for extensive networking, says Solja Sulkunen, Project Manager at FAIR, Business Helsinki.

So, we are heading to the Smart City Expo in Barcelona 5-7 November, 2024 to build an even better Helsinki through new learnings and collaboration!