Ricard Zapatero, CEO of Fira Barcelona International
Doha, Qatar: As Smart City Expo Doha wrapped up its fourth edition this week, Ricard Zapatero, CEO of Fira Barcelona International, the global organiser behind the event, praised Qatar’s growing role in advancing urban innovation and connecting the world’s leading smart city ecosystems.
Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the conference, Zapatero highlighted the significance of hosting this year’s programme alongside Mobile World Congress, creating unprecedented synergy between two major technology platforms. “We are so happy to have this fourth-time edition here in Qatar, in Doha this year,” he said. “We are celebrating our programme, which is having a fantastic big expo. Many of the exhibitors that we had in preceding editions have transferred to the big conference, and we have concentrated our efforts on putting together a fantastic conference programme about smart cities.”
This year’s agenda featured 50 sessions with global experts, including keynotes from Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Industry Affairs at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), H E Reem Al Mansoori.
Zapatero said, “We are focusing on sharing what’s new about the planning of cities and how new technologies are helping citizens to have better lives in the cities to showcase how new technologies are helping cities to build better lives for their citizens.”
While Qatar is home to pioneering developments like Lusail and Msheireb, Zapatero noted the expo’s mission is not to spotlight individual cities but to explore the broader themes shaping urban transformation.
“This is not about certain cities. We are showcasing in our panels what are the main themes that cities should be addressing, what should be on their agenda,” he explained.
“Representatives from MCIT, TASMU, Lusail, and others shared insights on digital innovation, connected infrastructure, smart governance, and urban services, but always through the lens of global challenges and solutions.” Smart City Expo Doha is part of a worldwide network of events under the Smart City Expo brand, anchored by the flagship Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
“We have more than 28,000 professionals working in cities and delegations from almost 900 cities that gather and present their solutions,” Zapatero said of the Barcelona edition. In 2025, the global series expands further, with editions in New York, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Mexico, and now Doha. These cities together form “an ecosystem where they can participate in sharing their vision, activities, and challenges,” Zapatero said.
The international platform is backed by heavyweight institutional partners such as UN-Habitat, the World Bank, and the Smart Cities World Association, all of which support the Doha edition. Their involvement underscores Qatar’s rising prominence in the global smart city dialogue.
As the event concluded, Zapatero reaffirmed the Expo’s mission: to unite cities, innovators, and policymakers around the technologies and ideas shaping the urban future and to ensure those innovations ultimately uplift the lives of citizens worldwide.
