BARCELONA, Spain, June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --
From June 1st to 3rd Istanbul hosts the Smart City Expo edition for South-eastern Europe and the Middle East (http://www.smartcityexpoistanbul.com). With the Turkish capital city not only as a backdrop but also as a prime example of the specific challenges that cities in this part of the world are facing, Smart City Expo Istanbul has "Cities in Motion" as its main claim hence focusing on mobility and urban transformation as two of the main drivers of urban development. Held at the Haliç Congress Center, the event is organized by the Kültür AŞ and Fira de Barcelona.
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Smart City Expo Istanbul comprises a congress and an exhibition where companies and institutions will showcase their projects, technologies and urban solutions to visitors and experts alike. The conference will focus on 6 key themes -Mobility, Innovation and Technology, Energy, Smart Society, Entrepreneurship & Economic Development, and Big Data & Urban Management-and features over 20 speakers and 20 different sessions among which the two keynotes by Mobility experts Anthony Townsend, senior research Scientist and NYU's Rudin Center and Principal at Bits and Atoms, and Phillip Rode, Director of the LSE Cities at the London School of Economics.
This special focus on Mobility also hold Istanbul projects in the spotlight. The Turkish metropolis faces important challenges and is undertaking several initiatives to tackle these issues including new metro lines, an underground tunnel connecting Asia and Europe, a new Airport and smart traffic management solutions, all of them showcased at the event.
The exhibition features over 40 companies and institutions as Toki, Argedor, Cisco, Current by GE, Ericsson, Fors Medya, SAP, Tahincioglu, Türk Telekom, Turkish Airlines and Vakif Bank, among others.
The opening ceremony takes place will be presided over by the mayor of Istambul, Kadir Topbaş, along with Spanish ex-Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, and UN Habitat Deputy Executive Director, Aisa Kirabo Kacyra
International expansion
With Smart City Expo Istambul, Fira de Barcelona and Smart City Expo continue their international strategy through a series of regional events. After several editions in North and South America and Asia this year has also seen the first African edition of Smart City Expo in Casablanca (Morocco). Smart City Expo World Congress 2016 will take place in Fira de Barcelona from November 15th to 17th.
SOURCE Fira de Barcelona
