Tomorrow.Blue Economy will highlight the strategic role of the Blue Economy

Fira de Barcelona will host a new edition of Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress (TBEWC) from 3 to 5 November, the leading international event focused on the blue economy. Over the course of three days, the gathering will bring together representatives from major city ports, public administrations, international organisations, research centres, companies and startups at the Gran Via venue to discuss the strategies that can turn the oceans into one of the key drivers of sustainable economic development in the coming decades.

The current international landscape has highlighted the world economy’s strong dependence on several energy sources and revealed how geopolitical tensions can directly affect economic activity on a global scale. Against this backdrop, the blue economy is emerging as a strategic alternative capable of driving more resilient and sustainable growth through innovation and resource diversification.

With the aim of unlocking the full potential of the blue economy, TBEWC will feature conferences from leading experts across three major congress programmes: Smart Ports: Piers of the Future, Global Blue Finance Summit, and Sustainable Ocean Summit.

In this edition, Smart Ports will bring together ports, startups, companies, and investors with the goal of addressing the real challenges facing the port and maritime sector and promoting the development of innovative solutions. In addition, the event will be closely linked to key innovation initiatives within the Port of Barcelona’s ecosystem, such as the international startup acceleration and open innovation programs Lighthouse and New Latitude.

Meanwhile, the Global Blue Finance Summit and the Sustainable Ocean Summit, both organised by the World Ocean Council (WOC), will provide a platform to connect investors with scalable blue economy opportunities, and a forum where businesses, experts and governments can drive solutions to accelerate the deployment of the blue economy and the protection of the oceans through cross-sector collaboration, respectively.

Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, will organise a range of activities under the city’s new Blue Economy Strategy. The programme will focus on fostering open innovation by connecting corporations and startups, exploring emerging skills and training trends across the sector, and facilitating connections between talent and companies with recruitment needs. Startups from the Barcelona ecosystem will also be present in the exhibition zone.

The event will also feature a startup area, the Ocean Innovation Hub, where 50 emerging companies from around the world specialising in the blue economy will showcase their projects. The space will be managed by Oceanovation, a partner of the WOC.TBEWC is organised with the support of 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 Authority of Barcelona.

Barcelona and the Blue Economy
According to the United Nations, the blue economy contributes around US$1.5 trillion annually to the global economy and generates more than 30 million jobs worldwide. In addition, over 80% of global trade is transported by sea, while the oceans absorb more than 25% of human-generated CO₂ emissions.

In Barcelona, the blue economy encompasses more than 1,600 operators, generates approximately 51,000 jobs, and records an annual turnover exceeding €11 billion, according to data from the Barcelona Blue Economy Observatory.

The EU Blue Economy Report 2025 estimates that the blue economy employs 4.82 million people across the European Union, generates a gross value added of €250.7 billion, and achieves a total turnover of nearly €890 billion.

Tomorrow.Blue Economy World Congress takes place alongside Smart City Expo World Congress, the world’s leading event on smart cities and urban solutions; Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress, organised by Fira de Barcelona and EIT Urban Mobility to advance a new paradigm of sustainable urban mobility; Barcelona Deep Tech Summit, organised by Barcelona Activa and focused on scientific and technological entrepreneurship and university spin-offs; and the Barcelona Cybersecurity Congress.

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