News
1st November 2023
North East England’s smart city credentials will be showcased on the international stage on 7-8th November as a diverse regional delegation heads to Barcelona for Smart City Expo World Congress.
Taking place from 7-9 November, Smart City Expo is the world’s largest conference for smart cities, attended by more than 20,000 people from all corners of the globe.
Representatives from Sunderland City Council and our SMart CIty Programme team will be joined by colleagues from Invest Newcastle and Newcastle City Council, as well as a cohort of private sector organisations to put forward a united message about the scale of ambition in North East England around urban innovation and digitalisation.
Sunderland has also been shortlisted as one of just six cities worldwide for the highly competitive and prestigious ‘City Award’ at the upcoming World Smart City Awards, which are also being held at Smart City Expo in Barcelona. This recognition underlines Sunderland’s dedication to innovation, sustainability and urban development excellence on a global scale.
The city has a long-term partnership with Boldyn Networks, using 5G and IoT networks to create one of the UK’s most technologically advanced urban environments, and recently secured £5.7m to revolutionise the way people experience live sports, esports and events through digitally enabled facilities and services.
Liz St Louis, director of smart cities and enabling services at Sunderland City Council, said: “The Smart City Expo World Congress is the ideal opportunity to explore innovative city strategies, discuss ground-breaking projects and share ideas to enable smarter futures for all.
“We are looking forward to standing alongside other global smart city leaders at this incredible event, and we can’t wait to share Sunderland’s Smart City transformation, together with colleagues from Newcastle, as we fly the flag for our forward-thinking region.”