Smart city experts share best practice, members experience WeGO Activator at EXCOM
October 16, 2019
SEONGNAM CITY – WeGO’s EXCOM 2019 concluded today, after two days of thematic sessions and a series of technical site visits.
Yesterday, local officials from Aurora, Gaziantep, Mexico City, and Milan shared examples of citizen involvement in the decision-making process of their smart city project implementation. Speakers from prominent Korean corporations and institutions such as Korea Telecom (KT) and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) also presented their innovative solutions to improve the lives of citizens, along with social impact-oriented companies in WeGO’s network, including DamoGO, Seoul Business Agency, SRPOST, and Umay.
In the afternoon, WeGO members experienced WeGO’s newly developed smart cities activator, and were introduced to how the platform can help cities plan innovative projects and enhance stakeholder engagement. Members expressed eagerness to start using the activator, which will be made available as soon as a set of detailed guidelines are released at the start of 2020.
Matchmaking meetings were available for all participants during the three-day event. Several African members expressed their interest in hosting a regional office on the continent, and New York City along with Digizens Collaborative from Abuja considered how they may work with WeGO to replicate startup competition Citypreneurs in their cities.
At the gala dinner hosted by WeGO, the Mayor of Cauayan thanked WeGO for its valuable programs and mentioned his full support in bringing 140+ Filipino mayors to WeGO’s upcoming General Assembly in Makati. The Mayors of Andek, Batibo, and Tubah, new member cities from Cameroon, also pledged to actively recruit members in Africa.
For the last part of the event, Seongnam City showcased its high-tech facilities as well as cultural and historical attractions in excursions to the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, Panggyo Techno Valley Promotion Hall, and Gyeonggi Autonomous Driving Center. Participants also had the opportunity to see Korea’s advancement in air technology through the Aerospace and Defense Exhibition 2019.
EXCOM convenes every year to discuss and decide on key agenda ítems guiding the organization’s direction for the future. The next EXCOM meeting will be held at the 5th General Assembly in Makati on September 6-9, 2020.