Groundbreaking global forum welcomes participants from 60 countries, 70+ speakers, 90 sponsors and exhibitors, and 37 local and international start-ups
Msheireb Downtown Doha hosts 6400 visitors
Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, the region’s leading international summit for cities and smart urban solutions organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and Fira Barcelona International brought together technology providers, urban planners and digital entrepreneurs from 60 countries under one roof in Doha.
As the second Smart City Expo Doha 2022 came to a successful conclusion at Msheireb Downtown Doha, the wisdom of gathering the world’s leading smart city innovators in Qatar was proven as the two-day event attracted a record number of participants to Msheireb Downtown.
More than 6400 visitors attended the two-day global gathering as more than 70 local and international speakers, 90+ sponsors and exhibitors, 37 local and international start-up enterprises, 11 government entities and 10 universities demonstrated their commitment to Qatar’s drive for a sustainable, connected future.
11 debate sessions, three keynote speakers, two high-level panel discussions and eight solution talks highlighting the smart city transformations taking place around the world enabled Smart City Expo Doha stakeholders to share their experiences and ideas, covering all aspects of smart city development. And the exhibition area covered around 600 meters of walking distance.
Commenting on the success of Smart City Expo Doha 2022, Her Excellency Reem Mohammed Al Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary of Digital Society Development, said:
""With the support of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz al-Thani, Smart City Expo Doha has been a great success and the catalyst for cities, companies and experts to come together and suggest innovative, sustainable and eco-friendly solutions to the challenges facing the world’s major cities.
"Whether it be the government’s digital delivery of public services, the transformation of key national industries, or the seed-funding and grassroots support of innovative entrepreneurship, smart solutions continue to make a big impact in Qatar.
"Such big changes are no small achievement. We are creating an entire digital economy from the ground up; one that requires institutional support, bold investments, cross-sector collaboration, and the reskilling of our national talent pool.
"And I have no doubt that the projects and partnerships built and strengthened during Smart City Expo Doha 2022 will have a positive and sustainable impact on the lives of citizens here in Qatar and around the world.”
The landmark two-day global gathering concluded with a well-attended Closing Ceremony during which Her Excellency Reem Mohammed Al Mansoori and Fira Barcelona CEO Ricard Zapatero presented awards to thank the many participating speakers, exhibitors and sponsors.
As part of his closing ceremony speech, Ricard Zapatero stated on behalf of Fira Barcelona:
"Smart City Expo Doha 2022 has been a great success, highlighting Doha and Qatar as the capital of Smart Cities ecosystem in the region. Under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdul Aziz al-Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and in the unique location of Msheireb Downtown Doha, Innovation, sustainability and resilience have been main topics on our discussions and new ideas and solutions have been shared and boosted from Doha to all the world."
Supported by an exceptional and visionary collection of sponsors, Smart City Expo Doha 2022 thanks Host Msheireb and Platinum Partner Ooredoo, Official Bank Sponsor QNB, Official Carrier Qatar Airways, Gold Sponsors Hamad International Airport, Huawei, Vodafone, Microsoft and Meeza, Silver Sponsors Dell Technologies, GBM, Cisco and Mannai Corporation, QFZA, Development Partner Qatar Development Bank, Mobility Platform Sponsor Uber, Registration Sponsor Deloitte. Strategic Media Partners Al Jazeera and CNBC Arabia, Official Media Partners Forbes and Lusail, and Media Partners Exquisite and Futad.
Source: Government of Qatar