Following several successful smart cities events, on 10-11 April, the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) led a business delegation focused on SMART solutions to Zalaegerszeg, Hungary, and Ljubljana, Slovenia. Recognizing the importance of working together with county chambers, the BCCI actively participates in such initiatives. Drawing upon their previous experience in the field of smart cities, which includes organizing delegations to Barcelona and Taipei smart city expos, the BCCI highlights the importance of collective efforts in advancing smart strategies and technologies.
At the AVL ZalaZone Automotive Test Track organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Zala County (ZVKIK) and the BCCI, participants highlighted the importance of smart strategies and technologies. They consider it their task to connect Hungarian regions with foreign countries and major cities, which can benefit local economic stakeholders.
Mr. Zoltán Bali, Vice Mayor of Zalaegerszeg, detailed the city’s smart city strategy adopted in 2016. Their primal focus was to address the challenges of 21st-century urban management with contemporary solutions. Dr. Ádám Balog, First Vice President of the Budapest Chamber, stressed the role of smart solutions in improving everyday life, citing experiences from smart city expos in Taiwan and Barcelona. He further elaborated on how realistic and viable solutions in the field of smart cities Zala County and neighboring Slovenia can offer:
“Such ideas and directions are beginning to emerge here that can be seamlessly integrated into the concepts that we have framed.”
During the Hungarian-Slovenian Smart City Forum on April 11 at the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, H.E. Andor F. Dávid, Ambassador of Hungary to Slovenia, and Ms. Marjana Majeric, executive director of the Slovenian Chamber, delivered the opening remarks to the company representatives. Mr. Dezső Kovács, President of the Zala Chamber, and Mr. Péter Keszthelyi, President of the Smart City Section of the Budapest Chamber, presented insights on smart specializations like IT, digitalization, and AI.
We learned about BTC City, a leading commercial property management and development company in the region that manages one of Europe's largest centers in Ljubljana. Both Zala County and Budapest Chambers may organize a business mission to BTC City in the near future.
Grateful for the connections and knowledge gained, we thank the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Zala County, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia (Gospodarska zbornica Slovenije), the Committee for Hungarian-Slovenian Relations of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Embassy of Hungary in Ljubljana for contributing to the success of our visit.
You may find further information about our visit here:
Article of Zala County News Portal: https://www.zaol.hu/helyi-kozelet/2024/04/a-smart-city-rol-es-magyar-szloven-gazdasagi-kapcsolatokrol-targyaltak-zalaegerszegen#google_vignette
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