The strengthening of the relations between island territories to tackle questions of climate change, economic competition, technological innovation and tourism will be the main objectives of the second edition of the Smart Island World Congress (SIWC), the first world meeting about smart islands.

The event is organised by Fira de Barcelona, with the support of the Government of the Balearic Islands, the Consell de Mallorca and the City Council of Calvià, and held on 23 and 24 April in Calvià (Mallorca). It is expected to bring together representatives of islands around the world, 85 speakers and 25 exhibitors.

After a successful first edition centred on the needs and opportunities of island territories in a globalised economy, the 2018 edition will move forward and focus on the need to find synergies and to strengthen the links that connect them as they face their major challenges to become the islands of the future.

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The second edition of the Smart Island World Congress is therefore a meeting place where alliances can be forged and connections made between the key actors in the island ecosystem to tackle the common issues that they face.

The congress programme revolves around three main themes: leadership of islands in the tourist business, the challenges facing islands in the future and the resources available to island territories. The first will be addressed in sessions of smart and sustainable tourism, technology applied to tourism, health, welfare, cultural heritage and seasonal variations.

The question of the future of islands will discuss the opportunities that islands offer start ups, business incubators, entrepreneurs, mobile connectivity and smart islands. Climate resilience, environmental sustainability, desalination, architecture, waste management, renewable energies and infrastructures will all be dealt with in the axis on natural resources.

There will be 15 conferences structured around these three areas (2 keynotes, 3 full sessions and 10 parallel sessions) where 85 speakers will take part, including island leaders, industrial experts and directors of research centres, universities, governments and international organisations who will share their experience and solutions for the current and future running of islands around the world.

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The second edition of the Smart Islands World Congress will also have an exhibition space with around 25 companies and a networking space where island representatives, speakers, companies and visitors can make contact before and during the event. Around 2,000 people are expected to attend from a hundred islands around the world.

Smart cities, smart islands

SIWC, which enjoys the support of the World Bank, ONU-Hàbitat, Global Island Partnership and the Dafni Network, is the leading event in the world for smart islands and offers island territories a space for debate where they can discuss together the challenges of the future in technology, innovation and their resources.

The congress will benefit from the international experience consolidated by the Smart City Expo World Congress, which has been organised by Fira de Barcelona since 2011 and is the leading world event for the smart city sector.