BARCELONA, Spain, March 1, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

• Organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the World Cities Expo 2017 will gather more than 10.000 professionals from May 15^th to 18^th at the Halic Congress Center in Istanbul 

• As cities become "smart cities", World Cities Expo Istanbul will bring ideas and experts at the forefront of this transformation together in Istanbul 

• The global presentation of the congress took place today during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, twin city of Istanbul and a smart city international reference 

The Smart Cities congress World Cities Expo is set to become the global benchmark for smart cities. Organized by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, the event has been presented today globally during the Mobile World Congress.

World Cities Expo Istanbul will address entrepreneurship and economic development, innovation and technology, big data and urban management, and energy, transportation, and smart societies as they relate to Smart Cities. The big event will create an area of shared experience; offer an exhibition area to bring companies with a stake in smart transformation together; hold vision conferences that gather opinion and thought leaders; and organize effective, synergy-based business and network meetings.

The Secretary General of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Dr. Hayri Baracli, noted the importance of World Cities Expo Istanbul: "Use of technology is becoming more widespread as it presents the potential to solve the problems of metropolises. Today global cities are projected to allocate $1.5 trillion in resources by 2021. Smart cities are expected to provide $22 trillion in savings by 2050 with initiatives such as public transportation systems and energy-saving buildings."

In this first edition, it is expected that more than 100 global and local companies will attend the event with nearly 10 national pavilions. World Cities Expo Istanbul is projected to draw nearly 3.000 business people and more than 300 international and national members of the press, as well as over 10.000 professionals.

World Cities Expo Istanbul attendee profile comprises international and local public institutions and organizations, leading urban technology companies, national pavilions, nongovernmental organizations within the industry, smart-home platform providers, educational institutions, health service providers, insurance companies, industry publications and media organizations, municipalities, mayors, and executives, technoparks, urban administrators, telecom operators, ministries of urban technologies, ministries of environment and urbanization; and technology providers.

SOURCE World Cities Expo 2017