Dear Reader,
Digital transformation is about people. A lot of us work together online every day and often that makes life easier. But the best conversations still happen when we meet in person: when a question turns into an idea or an introduction leads to a new collaboration.
After a welcome summer break, we are back with plenty to do.
And two opportunities where I hope to see you soon.
First, join us at the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona, from 3 to 5 November in Spain.
You will find OASC in Hall 3, Stand D71, as part of a large pavilion bringing together around 25 partners.
It will be a place to explore, ask questions and make connections.
Expect demonstrations from our members, opportunities to meet project and pavilion partners, and conversations with cities including Aarhus, Tampere, Riga, Rotterdam and many more.
The European Commission’s team working on AI for societal good will be there too and we will have sessions with the United Nations as well, in close collaboration with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
On 3 November, from 16:00 to 16:55, promising deep tech start-ups will pitch their ideas live as part of the ACCEND project in our co-hosted European Twinning & Citiverse pavilion.
Come along, hear what they are building and put your questions to them. We will share the full pavilion programme soon.
We are also shaping a strong, practical programme for our annual conference in Aarhus, Denmark. Our first keynote speaker is confirmed: Cristina Bueti from the ITU. Her expertise on global standards for people-centred digital transformation will certainly be of interest to you.
This edition will put useful lessons and practical insights for cities and communities centre stage.
We are planning site visits that take you into Aarhus as a living testbed – robots included! – and deep dives in small groups where there is room for real discussion. You can even help choose where we meet for the next edition.
We hope to see you in Barcelona, Aarhus, or both. Find out more and register here.
I really hope to see many of you there!
Warm regards,
Karl-Filip Coenegrachts
OASC Chair of the Governing Body
Executive Director