Barcelona – – September 30, 2026 -- Fira de Barcelona will host the Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress (TBEWC) from November 3 to 5, bringing city ports, public administrations, research centres and startups together to develop strategies for the blue economy at the Gran Via venue.
Three dedicated programmes target ports, finance and ocean sustainability
The congress conferences will run across three tracks: Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, the Global Blue Finance Summit, and the Sustainable Ocean Summit. Smart Ports will connect ports, startups, companies and investors to address operational challenges in the maritime sector. The Global Blue Finance Summit and Sustainable Ocean Summit, both organized by the World Ocean Council (WOC), aim to link investors with scalable blue economy opportunities and coordinate business and government action on ocean protection.
Industry leaders including WOC and Port de Barcelona representatives confirmed as speakers
Confirmed speakers include Allyson Beach, Blue Acceleration Adviser at the World Ocean Council; Chris Ninnes, CEO of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council; and Emma Cobos, Director of Innovation and Blue Economy at the Port de Barcelona.
Barcelona City Council rolls out new Blue Economy Strategy activities
Barcelona Activa, the city council's economic development arm, will organize sessions under the municipality's new Blue Economy Strategy, focusing on open innovation partnerships between corporations and startups, emerging sector skills, and talent-to-company connections.
Ocean Innovation Hub to showcase blue economy startups
A dedicated startup area, the Ocean Innovation Hub, will be managed by Oceanovation, a WOC partner, giving emerging companies from around the world a platform to present blue economy projects to potential investors and corporate partners.
TBEWC is supported by Barcelona City Council through Barcelona Activa, the Port of Barcelona, the World Ocean Council, Oceanovation, and the Port Authority of Barcelona's Smart Ports initiative. The event runs alongside Smart City Expo World Congress, Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, Barcelona Deep Tech Summit and the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress.