GMC Conference to put Madrid at epicenter of mobility

Madrid, May 26 (EFE).- Spanish Transport, Mobility, and Urban Agenda Minister Raquel Sanchez affirmed on Thursday that the Global Mobility Call (GMC) conference, to be held at IFEMA Madrid, from June 14 to 16, would put the Spanish capital at the “epicenter of sustainable mobility” worldwide.

Sanchez told a press conference that the conference would be “the largest event in mobility” to date and will mark “a before and after” in the transport sector of the urban environment and rural mobility.

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She said that both infrastructure and energy would be “essential” issues to face “the colossal challenge posed by climate change,” which in turn implies the transformation of mobility patterns.

“It is a historic opportunity to achieve non-polluting modes of transportation” and the Spanish industry must play an important role, she said.

The minister has advocated investigating technological solutions and regulatory norms that “do not force free spaces to be sacrificed to means of transport” and that are “more respectful of people’s health.”

The director of the GMC, David Moneo, indicated that the purpose of the conference is to “integrate the entire intersectoral mobility system” into a joint event that promotes “public-private collaboration.”

The essence of the conference will be “to count on the presence of private initiatives, not only large corporations, but also SMEs and startups.”

Juan Jose Lillo, the co-founder of Smobhub, which is co-organizing the conference, explains that it is a project developed “from an integrated holistic perspective, with 16 sectors involved” and that it contemplates, for the first time, “a global vision of the sustainable mobility business model.”

Over three days, the discussions are to take place at more than 100 roundtables with the participation of European projects within the framework of the post-pandemic recovery.

There will be seven thematic spaces, for which an auditorium and five thematic forums on technology, data innovation, sustainable transport, and the society of the future will be set up.

The president of IFEMA, Jose Vicente de los Mozos, told the press conference that the initiative would be “the first event on sustainable mobility in Europe” that responds to the objective of “leading the debate on the sustainable mobility of people and goods.”

The event will also seek to “generate business” to position Spain as a “sustainable mobility hub in the world,” he said.

Regarding the expected participation, De los Mozos said that so far there was “more demand than space at the conference” and that some 15,000 participants would attend in face-to-face-hybrid format. Although the fair is only open to professionals, there are plans to open future events to the general public.

All the industrial sectors that work in the development of mobility will be represented, and they will be able to take advantage of the sessions to exchange experiences and knowledge and also undertake new projects. EFE