Tomorrow.Blue Economy to gather international leaders driving the blue economy

The blue economy will once again take centre stage in the sector’s international forum with the fifth edition of Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress (TBEWC), held as part of Smart City Expo World Congress 2026. The event will bring together companies, public administrations, research institutions, startups and investors with the aim of promoting solutions that can accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable, resilient and competitive blue economy, with innovation, investment and talent as the main drivers of transformation and growth.

Organised by Fira de Barcelona in collaboration with 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 of Barcelona, The long standing Global Blue Finance Summit (BlueFIN) and Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) underpin the TBEWC.

TBEWC is the global meeting point for the stakeholders leading the transformation of industries linked to the ocean, seas, lakes and rivers. Its primary goal is to connect new ideas and technologies with the capital, organisations and talent needed to bring them to market and true impact.

To this end, the event will feature more than 120 international experts from the business, institutional, investment and scientific spheres. This year, they will focus on how economic growth can be combined with the protection of marine ecosystems through innovation, investment mobilisation, talent attraction and public-private collaboration, lead by data, storytelling and policy.

Speakers include Nadia Quevedo, Commissioner for Economic Promotion at Barcelona City Council; Emma Cobos, Director of Innovation and Blue Economy Strategy at the Port of Barcelona; Chris Ninnes, CEO of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council; Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, CEO and Managing Director of the World Ocean Council; Anna Majó, Director of Strategic Sectors and Innovation at Barcelona Activa; Leila Ben Hassen, founder and CEO of Blue Jay Catalyst; Alice Schroeder, CEO of Unu Oceano; Hoa Doan, Head of Impact and Sustainability at Notpla; and Eugene Montoya, founder of Sandmont Natural Capital.

Imbedded Events and Dedicated Programmes
Key topics at the congress will include maritime decarbonisation, ocean data and digital technologies, marine biotechnology, sustainable aquaculture, blue carbon markets, coastal resilience and biodiversity protection. The event will also explore how to mobilise investment in these areas and how to attract and develop the talent required to turn technological advances into new solutions and business opportunities.

The 2026 edition will be structured around four specialised events and programmes, covering the entire blue economy value chain, from generating innovation and developing new solutions for financing, scaling and accessing talent.

The eighth edition of Smart Ports: Piers of the Future will bring together ports, startups, corporations, public institutions and investors from around the world to discuss port decarbonisation, the digitalisation of operations, infrastructure automation and port-city integration. The event will feature an innovation area showcasing 50 blue economy startups and will highlight the Lighthouse and New Latitude acceleration programmes promoted by BlueTechPort and Fundació BCN Port Innovation and led by the Port of Barcelona.

Meanwhile, the 16 year old Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) event will bring together business leaders, institutional representatives and sustainability experts to examine how economic growth can be reconciled with ocean conservation and global climate resilience goals.

The Global Blue Finance Summit (BlueFIN) event, first delivered in Barcelona in 2022, will explore new investment opportunities in ocean innovation, sustainable infrastructure, biodiversity markets and financing mechanisms to accelerate blue economy projects.

Finally, the Ocean Innovation Hub will showcase more than 40 startups and emerging companies developing new technologies for the marine sector, while also facilitating direct connections with potential investors and strategic partners.

Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, will also play a prominent role at the event with the presentation of the Blue Economy Promotion Strategy 2026-2030, the city’s new roadmap designed to foster economic activity, quality employment and marine-related innovation.

Exhibition area
Innovation and talent will also play a major role at this year’s TBEWC, which will host CONNECTIO Meetings to foster open innovation between corporations and startups, turning business challenges into opportunities for collaboration and innovation, as well as a Talent Marketplace to connect companies with professionals seeking employment.

The exhibition area will gather more than 40 companies and organisations from the sector, including Slow Mill Wave Power, ITACA Futures, Dottir Labs, Floating Power Plant, Moshun.Earth, Kendoo, Ovue, Studio Otter, Nature Brain, Sea Clay, among others.

The President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell, said: “Tomorrow Blue.Economy puts Barcelona at the heart of the debate on the blue economy, while Smart Ports: Piers of the Future brings the vision and experience of ports to the discussion. It is an opportunity to share knowledge, build partnerships and work together to transform a sector that has a key role to play in decarbonisation, digitalisation and competitiveness.”

Barcelona City Council’s Commissioner for Economic Promotion, Nadia Quevedo, said: “TBEWC once again positions Barcelona as a capital of the blue economy, placing talent, innovation and international partnerships at the heart of the drive towards a more sustainable, more resilient and bluer city.”

The CEO and Managing Director of the World Ocean Council, Stewart Sarkozy-Banoczy, said: “As we enter a new era of blue economy and working in partnership for private sector ocean responsibility, we are glad to be back in year four with our partners from the city, the port and Fira, as we further welcome public and private, finance and policy, innovation and business from around the world to our home port of Barcelona.”

From 3 to 5 November, Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress will take place at Fira de Barcelona’s Gran Via venue alongside Smart City Expo World Congress, the world’s leading event on cities and smart urban solutions.

Together, these events will bring together more than 1,000 exhibitors and over 25,000 attendees, turning Fira de Barcelona into the world’s largest hub for urban innovation.