With a similar aim but a more specific focus, the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) has originated the Smart Island World Congress.

The smart areas and populations that embark themselves in the process of improving the sustainability, economic growth and well-being of the community, they are confronting nowadays similar tasks and difficulties. It is crucial to share the tools and the knowledge that may help them succeed.

In this interconnected era, Islands are facing many challenges in areas such as efficiency of the public services, advancing towards a sustainable, participated urban planning, and improving its economic and social development.
The SCEWC organization is bringing together the civic, business and technology experts from all around the world to Smart Island World Congress, aiming to achieve and present a common vision on how to exploit the opportunities which arise from these challenges.

The most urgent need it to find new tools and to create new services that will allow governments and territory managers to reach an efficient management of the islands, and mitigate the weaknesses of insularity, such as a the floating population and the seasonality of the business, plus an often unsustainable mobility and a steady talent loss.

“Nowadays, it is crucial to discuss energy efficiency, sustainability, waste and water management and mobility in our territories. But in the specific case of islands, it is even more important; it is a matter of survival”, explains Alfonso Rodríguez, Mayor of Calvià. “Our territory is finite, it is fragile and limited, but at the same time is the most valuable treasure that we offer our residents and visitors”.

Calvià, in Mallorca, will be the permanent headquarters of the Smart Island World Congress. The congress and exhibition will be held for the first time next week, April 20th and 21st.
A two-day speakers’ congress plus a networking area will bring together the most relevant island leaders, industry experts, research centers, universities, governments and international organizations from all around the world, devising the optimal lines of action for all and each one of them; merging public needs with private innovative solutions and awarding the promotion and implementation of Smart Island projects and initiatives worldwide.

This first edition will allow its attendees to anticipate and define the transformation one of one of the markets with more potential. There will be congress tracks about new connectivity, innovative urban planning for a better social development, talent & economic development and the creation and empowerment of “smart destinations”.

FIWARE will participate in the Plenary P3, on Friday 21st, starting at 9.30h. Under the tittle ‘Making it happen: change-makers and economic development’, with the CTO of the FIWARE Foundation, Juanjo Hierro.

FIWARE will be also organising the Side Event ‘Frontrunner Smart Cities in the API Economy’, also on Friday 21st, starting at 11.45h in the Workshop Room: the API economy is an enabler for turning a business or organization into a platform. Living in a data-driven API economy, an island and its cities will need a set of business models and channels, based on secure access of functionality and exchange of data.
The workshop will illustrate how to become frontrunners this API Economy, benchmarking a community in terms of Smart City Maturity and turning a Smart City vision into reality. It will be the chance to become the leading adopters of a reference architecture based on open standards jointly defined by TM Forum and the FIWARE Foundation.