“This is the only event in Europe where the business of mobility, understood as a means of harmonizing the different sectors that make up the mobility ecosystem, is discussed.” With this statement from José Vicente de los Mozos, president of IFEMA Madrid, the global debut of the second edition of Global Mobility Call was announced. The event, the largest international gathering focused on sustainable mobility, will take place in Madrid from 12 to 14 September.
Organized by IFEMA Madrid and Smobhub, the meeting aims to be a large, multi-industry forum that supports and drives the development of the mobility of the future and the business that accompanies it. In this sense, María José Rallo, Secretary General for Transport and Mobility at the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, emphasized Spain’s role as an international benchmark. She highlighted the goal of reinforcing Spain as a global reference to attract talent, investment and innovation to the productive sector, while fostering a business ecosystem that creates quality employment. Madrid’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister David Pérez attended, along with Juan José Lillo, co-founder of Smobhub, and David Moneo, director of Global Mobility Call.
Key moment for the mobility business
During the presentation, mobility was described as at a pivotal point amid the industry’s transformation and in line with policies promoting greater sustainability across the mobility value chain. The shift is driven by rising social awareness, advances in technology, and opportunities offered by European Union policies, notably in energy saving and sustainable mobility. NextGenerationEU funds are set to mobilize a substantial amount in support of mobility projects.
Global Mobility Call will bring together 10,000 professionals in IFEMA Madrid, with an estimated 15,000 additional attendees joining via a digital platform. International participation is expected to reach 50 percent, with involvement from 16 European and Latin American countries. The event was designed as Marca España, an international initiative, uniting all players in the mobility ecosystem to share knowledge and best practices, while forging new business relationships and investment opportunities.
Juan José Lillo noted that Global Mobility Call 2023 will converge as an international benchmarking event for sustainable mobility, and will serve as a forum for discussion and job creation within an ecosystem that channels hundreds of billions of euros to improve people’s lives through cleaner and more efficient mobility services. The event will feature two main axes at GMC: the Convention Area, which will host expert discussions with business leaders and top institutions around eight thematic tracks addressing core challenges and solutions in sustainable mobility; and the GMC Fairgrounds, where cross-sector collaboration can flourish.
Five months after its initial success, the second edition, supported by the Spanish Government and backed by the Community of Madrid and the City Council, already includes 30 partners, major companies and associations, including more than fifty national and international groups and more than 100 participating companies.
Three major milestones of GMC
• The conference will coincide with Spain holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. In parallel, the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda will organize two side events within Global Mobility Call: a mobility conference focused on rural areas and a session on the Partnership on Active Mobility, featuring ministerial representatives from across Europe, business leaders, and working groups from 27 countries.
• The edition will include TRAFIC, the International Fair for Safe and Sustainable Mobility, which will add value in areas such as connectivity, digitalization, innovation, and road safety efficiency.
• A dedicated area will be created for cities and regions, both national and international, to facilitate exchange of experiences and knowledge on trends, success stories, and implementation plans for new mobility solutions and low-emission regions.