Barcelona – September 11, 2026 -- The Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) will convene 25,000 attendees, 1,000 exhibitors and 600 speakers from 1,000 cities in Barcelona from November 3 to 5, 2026, organized by Fira de Barcelona under the theme "Urban Solutions, Real Impact."
Housing takes top billing as cities confront a global affordability crunch
The 2026 edition dedicates its content structure to housing as one of the most pressing challenges facing municipal governments worldwide. Organizers will launch HOWS Barcelona, a new global housing summit running alongside SCEWC, covering urban planning, land policy, housing regulation, social and affordable housing, and building renovation and reuse.
Seven thematic tracks span technology, energy and governance
The congress program is organized around seven pillars: Enabling Technologies, Energy and Environment, Mobility, Governance and Economy, Housing and Inclusion, Infrastructure and Construction, and Blue Economy. These tracks cover digital transformation, artificial intelligence, green energy, governance and social equity issues relevant to municipal decision-makers and infrastructure investors.
Tech giants anchor the exhibition floor
Global exhibitors confirmed for the show floor include Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Dell Technologies and Deutsche Telekom IoT, alongside national and city pavilions. A new showcase called "Terra50" will present 50 of the world's leading urban sustainability solutions.
More than 600 speakers include futurists and diversity advocates
Nikolas Badminton, chief futurist and lead of the Futurist.com expert group, will present his outlook on the future of cities, drawing on work helping organizations build strategic foresight and scenario planning capabilities. Ayumi Moore Aoki, founder of Women in Tech Global, will address inclusive leadership as a driver of large-scale sustainable urban development. Additional speakers include Bibiana Aido of UN Women, Bilel Jamoussi of the ITU, and Chiara Corazza of the Women's Forum for the Economy and Society.
Barcelona consolidates as a multi-event innovation hub in November
SCEWC 2026 will run alongside five co-located events: Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, Tomorrow.Blue Economy, HOWS Barcelona, Barcelona Deep Tech Summit and Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress, positioning the city as a concentrated meeting point for urban innovation and infrastructure investment decisions this November.