Contracts, exchanges, and strategic relationships. The eight Sardinian companies return from Barcelona with a key haul of business and relationships built in a panorama of 1,100 exhibitors, representing over a thousand cities, more than 600 speakers, and over 27,000 attendees from 138 countries.
For the second consecutive year, Sardegna Ricerche brought the Sardinian innovation ecosystem to the heart of the global debate on smart cities, with startups representing the island at a dedicated stand within the Italian area, coordinated by ICE, at the Smart City Expo World Congress, which concluded on November 5th at the "Fira de Barcelona" after three days of meetings between companies, administrations, and urban service managers.
In addition to business meetings arranged before departure, meetings were also scheduled directly at the fair. The Sardinian delegation also met with the Swedish and Catalan delegations, as well as representatives from other countries. The companies were able to discuss the needs of urban services providers and identify partners with whom to explore potential field trials. Discussions with foreign operators and companies also opened up prospects for joint development and new business contacts.
The Sardinian mission was part of the largest Italian participation ever at the Smart City Expo, dedicated to the theme "Urban Solutions, Real Impact." The group organized by the Italian Trade Agency was joined by delegations from Lazio, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Rome, and the Municipality of Florence. In this context, Sardinian companies had the opportunity to discuss with other Italian regions the needs of governments and opportunities for business collaboration.
The work began on September 21st and 22nd at Sa Manifattura in Cagliari. The local hub of Sardegna Ricerche's Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) hosted two days of training to help companies identify interlocutors and prepare for business meetings. In Barcelona, the agency's EEN staff supported the companies throughout the event. To support company participation, the Agency also offered a voucher to partially cover travel expenses.
(Unioneonline)
