Successful premiere of The Smart Cities Meetup – a new URBIS concept

URBIS was supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic, the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic, the Association of Local Authorities of the Czech Republic, the South Moravian Region, the Statutory City of Brno and tens of other professional associations and institutions. The expo took place in Hall A1, in the adjacent open area, in the Rotunda and several other rooms. Among the guests of the expo were, among others, the Minister of the Environment of the Czech Republic Petr Hladík and the Minister of Transport of the Czech Republic Martin Kupka.

"It is great to see how various actors are connecting and looking together for ways to improve life in towns and communities. I believe that these meetings will bring tangible results and help to implement innovative solutions in practice," said Jan Kubata, CEO of BVV Trade Fairs Brno.

Conference part with abundant attendance

The programme of the conference part was held simultaneously in the Rotunda and in two auditoriums in Hall A1. The main topics of the conference were efficient public administration, energy and climate, and mobility of the future. "URBIS brings together a number of topics that are much discussed today, not only energy management solutions or modern energy generation, but also important is the connection with the social dimension, community, electromobility, etc. This is a direction that will be increasingly supported in the future. The company ESCO is also making effort to have a broad range to offer. All of it fits into a framework that will then be reflected not only in the environmental dimension, but also in the economic and, consequently, social dimension. In my opinion, the concept of URBIS is constructed correctly," said Martin Machek, Business Development Specialist from ČEZ ESCO.

Over 100 speakers from the Czech Republic, Austria, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Norway and Slovakia addressed the visitors. The first day was dedicated to all three topics, the second day was dominated by topics focused on energy, and on the third day transportation was the most frequent topic. The conference programme also featured the Contact Ukraine programme and the emerging BVV Living Lab at the Brno Exhibition Centre. The individual programme parts met with active interest by the visitors.

Exhibitors welcomed the number of contacts

Over 80 companies presented themselves in the URBIS exhibition section. "On behalf of Škoda X, we consider URBIS to be very beneficial, we concluded several new partnerships here and received invaluable feedback on our products and services, which will help us to be even more relevant to the group of customers present here," evaluated the expo Robin Švaříček, Head of Rollout Team from Škoda X. Among the exhibitors were also the City of Brno and its municipal companies (Brněnské vodárny a kanalizace – Brno Waterworks and Sewerage, Dopravní podnik města Brna – Brno Public Transport Company, Technické sítě Brno – Brno Utility Networks, SAKO Brno – Brno’s waste management company, Brněnské komunikace – Brno Road Management Company, and Teplárny Brno – Brno Heat Generation Plants), which presented an ecosystem that makes life easier for Brno citizens. Thanks to the managed infrastructure, municipal companies can connect city districts more easily and install smart features in the City of Brno. "We are a trade fair city with a big overlap. Therefore, it is quite obvious that URBIS belongs in Brno. And it is this trade fair that enables meeting and sharing, because without mutual cooperation nothing would work," said Markéta Vaňková, Mayor of Brno.

More than 50 startups also presented themselves at the exhibition centre, presenting, for example, projects based on artificial intelligence, innovative concepts for mobility, carsharing and energy. These start-ups made many contacts here. "A big benefit of the fair is that there are a lot of young progressive people and companies here. They all have a great pull at the gate and want to change things. You can see the enthusiasm here. The concept of URBIS as a Smart Cities Meetup is remarkably interesting. The exhibitors offer inspiring technologies that can truly help in a tangible way. This year's edition was really successful, and we have already booked a place for next year," said Dominik Šulák, Project Manager at WASTEDIGITAL.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade presented two important projects at URBIS, the National Consultation Point and Contact Ukraine. The National Consultation Point was staffed almost continuously by representatives of local governments and companies, who discussed  with state agencies the possibilities of implementing and funding their projects. The Contact Ukraine project was mainly used by entities wishing to participate in the reconstruction of Ukraine.

BVV Living Lab was created at the exhibition centre

As the first of the BVV Living Lab smart projects at the Brno Exhibition Centre, the outdoor educational centre ARCHIMEDES® was officially opened on Tuesday 4 June, providing visitors with practical demonstrations and inspiration not only in the field of smart cities all year round. This multifunctional space will highlight the latest technological features contributing to smart and sustainable living in the city. In addition, the centre will serve as a venue for various seminars, workshops or activities. Thanks to the BVV Living Lab, the Brno Exhibition Centre will be a testing ground for innovative technologies, and additional innovative projects will gradually join the ARCHIMEDES project.