EIT Urban Mobility partnered with the URBIS Smart City Meetup held from 4 to 6 June 2024 in the Czech City of Brno. The event brought together over 1200 delegates including government, industry and city representatives, regional innovation centres, innovation experts and startups.
Over 200 speakers took to multiple stages over the three days to provide insights into the key thematic areas of the event. The most prominent themes were Effective Public Administration, Sustainable Energy and Future Mobility. More than 80 exhibitors gathered in the Agora foyers of the Brno Exhibition Centre. Among the exhibitors were startups, city associations and urban services providers. The national contact point at the Expo included representatives of EU programmes, ministries, government and investment agencies.
Agora foyers of the Brno Exhibition Centre during URBIS Smart Cities Meetup event on 4-6 June 2024.
The event’s high attendance was a result of cooperation among four Czech ministries and a dozen institutions. URBIS became a hub for key stakeholders to disseminate information and support activities in the field of Smart Cities. The event facilitated the establishment of innovative partnerships, particularly between businesses and municipalities and promoted the international exchange of ideas with many guests from abroad. Sharing know-how and good practices can help products and services more easily enter into practice and foreign markets.
Future Mobility a key theme in three discussion blocks
The recurring theme of the event was innovation in both technology and processes. Together, these lead towards more efficient and resilient cities. Both aspects were discussed at the keynote panel on Future Mobility, which featured the Czech Minister of Transport Martin Kupka, Director Innovation Hub East at EIT Urban Mobility Traian Urban, Director of AustriaTech Martin Russ and Director of the Finnish Smart Cities Cluster Pertti Kortejärvi.
The Future Mobility pillar of the event featured renowned experts throughout URBIS. Many topics captured participants’ attention, including intermodality, shared mobility, intelligent mobility technologies and logistics, autonomous mobility, urban planning, liveability and public space.
The Czech cities, mayors, organisations, startups and companies that have pioneered innovative solutions took centre stage. Practical examples of technological and policy innovations highlighted the discussions. The sharing of know-how undoubtedly brings cities closer to implementing Future Mobility practices.
Panel discussion in Brno Exhibition Centre during URBIS Smart Cities Meetup event 4-6 June 2024.
Brno as a hub of innovation
As the second largest city in Czechia, Brno is known for its innovative potential. The city is home to a major technological park, Vida! Science Centre, several research and technical universities and a wealth of innovative startups and companies. The City Hall runs a number of innovation and education programmes. These programmes are created with attention to practical applications of intelligent technologies on the municipal level.
The co-organiser and host of the URBIS Smart City Meetup, BVV Trade Fairs Brno, has developed key events contributing to the international relevance of Brno. At the core of BBV’s activities are high-level conferences and fairs connecting key industries and policy stakeholders across different areas. This year’s URBIS was a particularly relevant example of this, capitalising on the existing momentum around policy and practice of Future Mobility.
