At this point, we have a good couple of 360° Summits under our belt and we are starting to see a pattern, regardless if the topic is IoT, eHealth, or Smart Cities. All of these areas represent the bleeding edge of technology aimed at improving our everyday lives, but it will never be more than a tool in the hands of people. That precisely is the point that can make or break a novel application or solution – simple human intent.
Smart City 360° Summit 2016 was organized in partnership with the Slovak University of Technology, Automotive Industry Association of the Slovak Republic, and with the patronage of the Slovak Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Commission, and under the auspices of Slovak Ministry of Economy.
Once again, the importance of social innovation was put forward as the base for any and all technical innovation.
In November, Bratislava hosted 2nd international Smart City 360° Summit that brought together representatives of academia, industry, and public sector under one roof to discuss pressing issues and share knowledge that pertains the concept of Smart Cities. Three days were jam-packed with innovative projects, thought-provoking initiatives, and inspiring speeches on a variety of topics, but one clearly dominated the discussion.
Mobility and automotive industry have had a good year in terms of technical advancements. We only need to mention the rise of autonomous cars, electric vehicles, and online services that make owning a car almost an obsolete concept. The venue for this discussion could not have been better as Slovakia is world’s largest producer of cars per capita.
The future trajectory of smart cities appears to be quite clear. Growing number of city dwellers and commuters will continue to put extreme strain on the city infrastructure, the environment, and as a result – our quality of life. But problems and challenges for some are opportunities for others. For one, we are very excited to see what new business models and solutions these problems end up spawning. If the discussions we witnessed at this edition of the Summit are any indication, future is bright, rather than just problematic.
Smart City 360° Summit 2016 was joined by such distinguished speakers as Stefan Stanko (Vice-rector for education, Slovak University of Technology), Rastislav Chovanec (State Secretary of The Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic), Jaroslav Holecek (Executive Vice President of Automotive Industry Association of the Slovak Republic), Swen Postels (Strategist and Chief Technologist Automotive Hewlett-Packard GmbH), Tomas Petovsky (General Manager of Uber Czech Republic and Slovakia), Helmut W. Morsi (Advisor to the Director of “European Mobility Network”, including Coordination of Innovation & New Technologies and IT/TENtec European Commission, DG MOVE), and many others.
One big thank you to all participants, exhibitors, speakers and partners! We cannot wait to see you again next year!
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