URBIS helps to change the world around us
June 13, 2025 / 3:28 PM
URBIS The Smart Cities Meetup 2025, held on 10-12 June 2025 at the Brno Exhibition Centre, confirmed its position as a key platform for the development of smart cities and towns in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. Over 200 companies presented themselves at the Brno Exhibition Centre, and nearly 400 speakers took part in the conference part. Approximately 5,000 visitors passed through the gates of the exhibition centre during the three days.
URBIS was located in halls A1 and A2 and the surrounding open areas, the conference programme was held in the Rotunda Hall and other programme centres directly in the halls, the fair also included a demonstration area for drones and autonomous vehicles and the Archimedes community centre. The 2025 edition focused on the implementation of innovative solutions, with an emphasis on energy efficiency, mobility, digitalization of public administration and the use of artificial intelligence.
"URBIS has become a platform that is not just about how to implement the next smart traffic lights. It is about how to manage climate change, how to get innovations from PowerPoint to the streets, and how to connect all those who have the courage to change the world around us," said Jan Kubata, CEO of BVV Trade Fairs Brno.
Strong institutional support
URBIS 2025 enjoyed strong support from key ministries and other institutions. The event was supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Regional Development, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. More than two dozen other institutions - the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the Czech Republic, the Association of Local Authorities, the Statutory City of Brno, the South Moravian Region, the CzechInvest and CzechTrade agencies, the South Moravian Agency for Public Innovation JINAG, the South Moravian Innovation Centre, the Czech Technical University and others - also actively participated in the preparation of the event. The general partner of the fair was Teplárny Brno.
Visions and examples of good practice
The main topics of the conference were energy self-sufficiency and decarbonisation, circular economy and smart waste management, digital transformation and smart city technologies or smart mobility. The programme also focused on the participation of all generations in public affairs, the use of data and artificial intelligence in public administration, climate change, community energy, the use of drones in urban environments, living labs, 5G networks or more efficient waste management. The fair was attended, among others, by Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček, Minister of Regional Development Petr Kulhánek, Minister of Transport Martin Kupka, Minister of the Environment Petr Hladík and Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic Karel Havlíček.
National Consultation Point connects and helps
One of the important elements of the URBIS fair was the National Consultation Point, where representatives of local governments, companies and startups could get valuable information and support for their projects. This stand brought together representatives of key national agencies and institutions involved in promoting innovation, sustainable development and financing Smart City projects. Experts from the Ministry of Regional Development, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of the Interior, the CzechInvest and CzechTrade agencies, the National Development Bank, the Transport Research Centre, the Centre for Regional Development, the Czech Technology Agency, the State Environmental Fund and the Agency for Enterprise and Innovation were available to visitors at the National Contact Point.
When Europe creates smart cities together
The European continent is the venue for the world's most important event on smart cities - the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. Its director, Ugo Valenti, and the organisers of the Nordic Edge Expo in Stavanger, Norway, came to Brno. At Urbis, the organisers of all three events discussed how to create synergies that will strengthen Europe's position as a world leader in smart cities.
The strong international presence at this year's URBIS confirms this ambition. Delegations from Bavaria, Hungary, the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova had their stands there. Bavarian Secretary Tobias Gotthardt also spoke at the conference.
HackaTEEN knows its winners
Students took part in the HackaTEEN event at Urbis. Under the patronage of the JINAG agency and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, a competition of teams of pupil, school and student parliaments of primary and secondary schools was held. The winning team from the Bosonohy district of Brno will attend the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
Showcasing technologies in outdoor stands
The outdoor areas featured drones, smart sensors for motion detection, autonomous transport technologies, the BVV Living Lab project and electric cars of various brands that visitors could try out.
URBIS 2025 has fulfilled its goal as a place to meet, inspire and forge partnerships. It provided up-to-date information on trends and innovations in the field of smart cities, offered a space for discussion between experts and representatives of municipalities and made a significant contribution to spreading awareness of sustainable development opportunities. A high proportion of municipalities were among the visitors and, according to the mayors and mayoral representatives contacted, this fair should be a must-stop for all their representatives.
"I watched the lectures and went through the whole exhibition. It is important to define roles so that we can overcome barriers and harness that common energy and synergy. If we don't start by unblocking the barriers between the small and the big, there will be no shift, in all aspects and areas. URBIS offers an extraordinary opportunity to connect companies and municipalities," Miroslav Žbánek, Mayor of Olomouc, summed up his visit to Urbis.
"It is important for us to be at Urbis because there is a large concentration of smart solutions from practice and you can learn where you can take your city in one place. Times are very fast and it's hard to keep up. Knowing where to go or who can do something specific is a big time and money saver for us. Another benefit is networking, getting together. I think that changes should not be made by revolution, but by evolution, step by step," said Jan Kučera, Mayor of Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.
Two halls of smart solutions
Companies and institutions occupied halls A1 and A2 at the URBIS trade fair. Start-ups were also present, addressing potential investors, representatives of cities and municipalities and other key players in the Smart City ecosystem. They presented a wide range of solutions from applications for digital communication with citizens, to smart sensors for environmental and traffic monitoring, to innovative approaches in energy and mobility. At many of the stands, visitors could learn about the use of artificial intelligence in cities and municipalities. There were also exhibitions of Brno city companies.
