Medellin, Colombia, Oct 12 (EFE).- Some 150 international experts will take part in next week’s Smart City Business America Congress & Expo 2018 (SCBAM&E), which for the first time will be held outside Brazil to seek inspiration in the progress being made in this Colombian city. The SCBAM&E, which comes to Colombia through the Greater Medellin Convention & Visitors Bureau, will bring together some 3,000 leaders of the public and private sectors in an exploratory atmosphere of business deals and dialogue. The Oct. 16-18 meeting’s agenda will include artificial intelligence (AI) conferences, a technology expo and roundtables to exchange experiences in such areas as mobility, sustainability, resilience, security, health, education, energy, innovation and urban planning. During the event, Medellin will present the way this city has been transformed into a model of innovation in the region. «The relevance of this event to Medellin is completely in line with its stage of development,» the city’s secretary of economic development, Maria Fernanda Galeano, said, adding that the purpose is «to achieve the highest smart-city levels.» According to a recent study by McKinsey & Company consultants, Medellin is the Latin American city with the highest score in the public adoption of smart-city approaches, with 17.8 puntos, followed by Santiago with 17.3 points and Mexico City with 15.9 points. This city is the leader in Colombia for free Internet connections through its Medellin Digital program. It also has Route N, a science, technology and data center that energizes the ecosystem of innovation in the city and stimulates the concept of a knowledge economy. «What we want is to improve people’s quality of life in a sustainable way, for which technology has become an indispensable ally,» Mayor Federico Gutierrez said. He noted that fundamental to Medellin’s progress has been «thinking of citizens as a center of development, «combining technological development, computer connectivity and environment-friendly transport systems. jps/cd