Visitors enter the Smart City Expo World Congress event venue at Fira Barcelona in the Catalan city, Spain, Tuesday (local time). Courtesy of Fira Barcelona

BARCELONA, Spain — The Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) commenced in Barcelona on Tuesday (local time), bringing together scholars, industry leaders and government officials from around the globe.

Hosted and organized by the city of Barcelona and Fira Barcelona, this annual event is celebrating its 14th edition since its launch in 2011. It serves as a platform for fostering business opportunities for industry professionals while also providing a space to discuss a wide range of urban challenges and agendas.

Fira Barcelona said more than 1,100 exhibitors and 600 speakers from 850 cities around the world participated in the event held under the theme of "Live Better."

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport joined hands with the Korea Water Resources Corp., Korea Land & Housing Corp., Busan Metropolitan City and the city of Pohang to set up the Korea Pavilion as an exhibitor.

Seoul also partnered with three of its district offices: Dongdaemun, Gangnam and Seocho along with 15 companies in artificial intelligence and big data for the Seoul Pavilion.

Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province established its own booth at the expo to showcase its initiatives and achievements in leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, drones and augmented reality in collaboration with local companies.

Notably, Seongnam has been nominated as a finalist in the Innovation category of the World Smart City Awards, marking the first time a Korean local government has received this recognition.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power also set up a separate booth to introduce its technology and innovation in sustainable power sources.

Visitors take a look at exhibits at the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power booth during Smart City Expo World Congress, Tuesday (local time). Korea Times photo by Jhoo Dong-chan

"If we want to 'live better,' we should change our way of life, use technology and seek innovation through collaboration," said Ugo Valenti, director of the SCEWC, in his welcome remarks at Fira Barcelona's Gran Via venue in the Catalan city.

"The goal of the SCEWC is to answer various urban challenges with innovation for better life and sustainability for the future."

His address followed a minute of silence for the victims of recent floods in Spain's Valencia region.

Fira Barcelona reports that more than 25,000 attendees registered for this year's event, setting a new participation record. As a result, the exhibition space was expanded by 30 percent to accommodate the increased demand.

Global tech powerhouses, including Nvidia, Microsoft, AWS and Siemens, also participated in the expo to showcase their latest technologies in urban innovation and smart solutions. Attendees could experience advancements in mobility, AI-powered public services and drone delivery service.