The event is organized by Fira de Barcelona and held on the 23rd and 24th of April in Calvià (Majorca). It is expected to bring together representatives of islands around the world, 95 speakers and 25 exhibitors.
After a successful first edition focused on the needs and opportunities of island territories in a globalized economy, the 2018 edition will move forward and discuss the need to find synergies and to strengthen the links that connect them as they face their major challenges to become the islands of the future.
The congress programme revolves around three main themes: leadership of islands in the tourist business, the challenges facing islands in the future and the resources available to island territories. Around these topics, there will be 15 conferences where 95 speakers will take part, including island leaders, industrial experts and directors of research centres, universities, governments and international organizations.
The leading speakers will include Doug Lansky, a consultant and international expert on tourism and future trends within the sector. He is the author of a dozen books, including two for the Lonely Planet publishing house and three for Rough Guides. He has also written articles for National Geographic, The Guardian and The Huffington Post, among others.
Another leading speaker will be Lauri-Ann Ainsworth, Director of Development and Communications of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship – Caribbean. Launched in 2011 by Virgin Unite, the foundation of the business magnate Richard Branson, today is the Caribbean’s leading business accelerator, bringing world-class entrepreneurial support to the region.
Kate Brown, Executive Director of the Global Island Partnership, the UN association grouping island territories together, will also attend the congress. This entity promotes cooperation among islands in areas such as natural conservation and sustainability.
Smart Island World Congress, is supported by the World Bank, UN-Habitat, Global Island Partnership and the Dafni Network and will benefit from the international experience consolidated by the Smart City Expo World Congress, which has been organized by Fira de Barcelona since 2011 and is the leading world event for the smart city sector.
