The Major Cities of Europe annual conference will take place this year in Prato, at the Center for Contemporary Art Luigi Pecci, from 25 to 27 October.

In collaboration with Major Cities of Europe and the Municipality of Prato, the conference will be organized with the support of the Tuscany Region and CISPEL – Association of Public Services of Tuscany.

The online registration, the evolving programme and useful information are now online.

Since 1982 Major Cities of Europe, a non-profit association, has held its annual conference in a different European city. In recent years the conference has been held in Larissa in Greece, Venice, Leipzig, Zagreb, Florence, Hamburg, Zurich, Ljubljana and Vienna.

Every year from up to 400 delegates from all over Europe and also from non-European countries participate. In all they come from up to more 25 different nations.

Under the motto “A loom with a view – Weaving the digital future of communities, cities and regions” the program includes distinguished speakers from cities, regions, research centres and companies specialised in the Local Government market. They focus on the key innovations, outcomes and issues related to the developments of the transformation of cities and regions and the governance of local communities. The program highlights the importance and role of technologies in enabling these transformations.

The conference is held in English, with simultaneous translation into Italian.

Conference topics:

• Digital transformations and plans
• Role of technologies in the management of climate change.
• Emerging technologies, artificial intelligence, digital twins and more.
• Data governance
• Security, cybersecurity, digital identity and more.
• The evolution of the role of the Regions and the related regional Digital Services.
• The future of the organization of IT in support of emerging technologies.
• Digital skills, new professional and managerial profiles.

Objective:

The objective of the conference is to promote exchanges of experiences on the use of modern technologies to address the needs of local communities. The conference intends to share experiences on how local governments face new challenges, drive change and respond to citizens’ expectations.

We want to answer crucial questions such as:

• How to react quickly with policies, strategies and investments to manage change?
• How to be prepared for such responsibilities?
• What are the key elements to be successful?
• How digital technologies can be enabling factors and engines of transformation in the management of services to citizens, in the definition of policies and action plans for the climate and the environment, in guaranteeing safety and resilience in emergency situations and how to manage risks?
• How to communicate, engage and include citizens in the digital transformation of their community and of the public administration?
• How to prepare the skills and culture of civil servants to face the transformations?

Participation

The conference is open to decision makers, managers, experts and professionals from local public administration and in general to those involved in innovation in local governments across Europe. It includes the participation of municipalities, regions, and local ecosystems of public/private organizations, such as utilities. The program is specifically aimed at public policy makers, local government CIOs, smart city managers, projects for sustainability and environmental transformation, those responsible for safety and cybersecurity.

For more information, please contact mce2023@comune.prato.it