Between 3 and 5 October, the IoTSWC’s activity programme will feature the Blockchain Solutions Forum and the ICO 2017 & Crypto Economy Conference, organised jointly with BECON (Blockchain Ecosystem Network), the global and cross-sector platform for collaboration, networking, explaining and advancing Blockchain methodologies and solutions. 

This disruptive technology allows the secure, unmodified and decentralised distribution of digital information, the recording of all kinds of valuable information, and peer-to-peer transactions in real time with complete confidence and without the need for intermediaries. Its growth prospects are unstoppable: it is estimated that 20% of global transactions will have integrated blockchain by 2020, according to consultancy firm IDC, and many predict that it will radically transform the way we do business.

For industry and the economic and service sectors

In order to reveal all this potential, the Blockchain Solutions Forum, complemented by the ICO 2017 & Crypto Economy Conference, will have a very practical approach and include a score of real-life examples. 

The session will be given by some of the leading international experts along with representatives of the companies that are successfully implementing blockchain technology in such varied sectors as energy, logistics, the supply chain, mobility, HR management, construction, cities, ports and airports, manufacturing, real estate, food, NGOs, banking and finance, health and music, among others. 

The session on the crypto economy will be attended by investors interested in new IPO and ICO financing models and companies and start-ups that are implementing blockchain solutions in their businesses and looking for an injection of capital for their projects.

Keynote speakers

A general overview of blockchain and its disruptive power to transform present-day industries will be given by the director of the Bitcoin Foundation, Jon Matonis. The CEO of OpenLedger, Ronny Boessing, will also talk about the positive impact that blockchain will have on humanity. Other discussions will address the digital transformation challenges that Blockchain brings, with one of the founders of the Ethereum Enterprise Alliance, Matt Spoke, and a member of the NEM Foundation, Albert Castellana. Meanwhile, the head of research and cooperation at Outlier Ventures will talk about the exciting prospects heralded by the convergence of technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics and the IoT.

The case studies will show how IoT and blockchain are enabling industries to cooperate with each other. For example, the manager of IoT Gurus, Gerard van der Hoeven, will show how streetlights can be used to monitor traffic; the founder of Safetychanger, Jonathan Stolk, will talk about its implementation in the transport of hazardous goods; the CEO of Humaniq, Dinis Guarda, will present a mobile application for Banking 4.0 that facilitates financial services; and a representative from Protectiq will explain the creation of a transparent medical insurance using this technology which will speed up processes between diagnosis, treatment and recovery in the case of serious illnesses.

The session will also include consortiums with standout projects in different sectors such as the Construction Blockchain Consortium (construction – UK), the Wall Street Blockchain Alliance (financial services – USA) and the Open Music Initiative (music worldwide).

Meanwhile, the crypto economy session will bring together various investors, including Michael Terpin, the founder of BitAngels, the world’s first angel network for digital currency start-ups, and the founder of the Blockchain Investors Consortium, Mike Costache. 

About IoTSWC 2017

The IoT Solutions World Congress (IoTSWC 2017) is the world’s leading event for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and the only one to combine exhibition space, knowledge transfer, testbeds and professional networking at the highest level.

Organised by Fira de Barcelona in Halls 4 and 5 of the Gran Via exhibition centre on 3-5 October, the event brings together more than 220 companies and 250 speakers – in addition to the 115 speakers at the Blockchain Solutions Forum and the ICO 2017 & Crypto Economy Conference – to showcase and discuss the latest industrial internet products and applications for numerous sectors and business areas. The IoTSWC congress programme is based around seven key themes – Manufacturing, Connected Transport, Healthcare, Energy & Utilities, Buildings & Infrastructures, Open Industry and Quantum Computing, and will be complemented by the forums on blockchain and the crypto economy. The event will address the main digital transformation challenges facing companies to enable them to take advantage of all the potential and benefits offered by IoT solutions.

Furthermore, in October 2017, Fira de Barcelona will become one of the biggest international platforms for the industry with the organisation of Barcelona Industry Week. The event will include the IoTSWC along with the trade fairs Expoquimia, Eurosurfas, Equiplast and In(3D)ustry From Needs to Solutions, the World Congress of Chemical Engineering, the World Chemical Summit and Smart Chemistry, Smart Future, all of them taking place in the Gran Via venue. 

View the programme of the Blockchain Solutions Forum and the ICO 2017 & Crypto Economy Conference here

Barcelona, September 2017 

Maria Dolores Herranz

(+34) 932 333 25 41

mdherranz@firabarcelona.com