The Smart City Expo Curitiba is the largest smart cities event in Brazil. With the theme “Reinventing cities for all,” the fifth edition of the event took place on March 20, 21, and 22, 2024, at the Positivo Events Center, in Barigui Square, and brought together representatives from the public sector, companies, universities, and civil society.

The goal of the Smart City Expo Curitiba was to reinvent cities to make them more sustainable and efficient, encompassing technological solutions. Additionally, the event offered networking opportunities, presentation of innovative projects, and knowledge exchange among participants.

Experience and results from the Smart City Expo Curitiba 2024

The Smart City Expo Curitiba 2024 was a success. There were over 16,000 participants over the 3-day event, around 90 companies (including sponsors, exhibitors, partners, etc.), 180 speakers, and a vision for sustainability and ESG practices that I don’t find everywhere.

Some of the ESG results were:

• 100 scholarships for academic reinforcement for 2 months with Alicerce Educação
• 300 scholarships for Maker workshops with Leva Ciencia
• 10 participations in ESG strategy workshops for companies with Now Sustainability and Impactability
• Various on-site actions such as the use of reusable cups from Meu Copo Eco and water fountains available for (re)filling

4 Insights we took from the Smart City Expo Curitiba 2024

Perhaps this post will inspire you to take a new look at events too?

📣 1 – Active participation with lectures from Now Sustainability

We brought the theme “The right tool for each step of your ESG journey” and I was able to talk about 18 practical methodologies that can be applied in any organization.

Insight: Participating in events actively and as a protagonist, offering lectures or workshops, can take your brand and that of your company to another level of visibility. To do this, look for events that have synergy with what your organization does best, contact organizers, and see if there is space and interest for participation.

🤝 2 – Partnership with the event and Impactability

It was a great pleasure to participate as an ESG Collaborator at the event. I thank Glaico Gundim dos Santos and Leo Tostes for their trust and partnership. Being close and contributing to making the event more sustainable was incredible for us.

Insight: Open your organization to the possibility of partnerships. Always understand what you can offer best and what you can get in return. The best partnerships are win-win and usually benefit both sides greatly.

♻ 3 – Sustainability at the Smart City Expo Curitiba

There were numerous sustainability actions coordinated by Impactability and involving various partners (including us from Sustentabilidade Agora).

Insight: Whenever you participate in an event, seek to understand its commitment to sustainability. It’s not always possible to be 100% ESG, but it’s our duty to understand and demand the best possible actions.

💬 4 – Connections – I was impressed that in a short time at the event, I was able to exchange ideas with Claudia Cristina Lopes Machado (She/Her), João R. R. Casagrande, Aline Lazzari, Helena Gurgel, Andressa Warken, among others. I am very grateful for the contact, interest, and exchange 😉

Insight: Take advantage of events to strengthen relationships and find synergies for after the event (be useful to others as well).