Tomorrow.Blue Economy 2026 charts a strategic course for the Blue Economy

BARCELONA, Spain, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- From 3 to 5 November, Fira de Barcelona will host a new edition of Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress (TBEWC), the leading international event focused on the blue economy. Over the course of three days, the gathering will bring together representatives from major city ports, public administrations, international organisations, research centres, companies and startups at the Gran Via venue to discuss strategies for turning the oceans into one of the key drivers of sustainable economic development in the coming decades.

To unlock the full potential of the blue economy, TBEWC will feature conferences from some of the world's leading experts including Allyson Beach, Blue Acceleration Adviser at the World Ocean Council; Chris Ninnes, CEO of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council; and Emma Cobos, Director of Innovation and Blue Economy at the Port de Barcelona.

The conferences will be distributed across three programmes: Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, Global Blue Finance Summit, and Sustainable Ocean Summit. Smart Ports will bring together ports, startups, companies, and investors with the goal of addressing the real challenges facing the port and maritime sector and promoting the development of innovative solutions.

The Global Blue Finance Summit and the Sustainable Ocean Summit, both organised by the World Ocean Council (WOC), will provide a platform to connect investors with scalable blue economy opportunities, and a forum where businesses, experts and governments can drive solutions to accelerate the deployment of the blue economy and the protection of the oceans, respectively.

Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, will organise a range of activities under the city's new Blue Economy Strategy. The programme will focus on fostering open innovation by connecting corporations and startups, exploring emerging skills and training trends across the sector, and facilitating connections between talent and companies.

The event will also feature a startup area, the Ocean Innovation Hub, where emerging companies from around the world specialising in the blue economy will showcase their projects. The space will be managed by Oceanovation, a partner of the WOC.

TBEWC is organised with the support of Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa; the Port of Barcelona; the World Ocean Council (WOC); Oceanovation; and Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, an initiative of the Port Authority of Barcelona; and is held alongside Smart City Expo World Congress, Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, Barcelona Deep Tech Summit; and the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress.