Smart City Expo USA Announces Headline Speakers Featuring Leaders from Olympics, FIFA, Tech-Forward Cities

Paris Olympics, TONOMOUS.NEOM — World's First Cognitive City — Stephen Ross, and FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City CEOs to Headline U.S. Gathering on Creating Modern, Forward-Looking Cities

Press interested in attending should apply for credentials ONLINE HERE

NEW YORK, March 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Smart City Expo USA, the premier event in the United States for leading cities into a smart and globally-competitive future, today announced an updated list of speakers and panel discussions focused on bringing together innovators from across sports, business, technology, and the public sector to create smart, modern, resilient and AI-ready cities.

Updated headline speakers include: Paris Olympics 2024 CEO Étienne Thobois, who executed the most ambitious, safe, sustainable, tech-forward, and startup-friendly Olympic games to date; Joseph Bradley, CEO of Saudi Arabia's TONOMOUS.NEOM, the world's first cognitive city; Miami Dolphins Owner and Related Ross CEO Stephen Ross and West Palm Beach Mayor Keith James; and, Alex Lasry, former Milwaukee Bucks Executive and FIFA World Cup 26™ New York New Jersey CEO. The event will convene 3,000 attendees, 100+ speakers, and top sponsors at the Javits Center in New York City on April 2-3, 2025.

"Smart City Expo USA is thrilled to host innovators like Étienne, Joseph, Stephen, and Alex who are transforming cities," Aarti Tandon, CEO, and John Paul Farmer, President, Smart City Expo USA said. "Given that major sports and cultural events provide catalytic opportunities for building smart cities, and the U.S. will soon host millions of passionate fans for the FIFA World Cup, Summer Olympic games, and F1 races, we're proud to convene top minds in AI, security, transportation, and more across the private and public sector to lead the U.S. into a globally-competitive future."

Additional notable speakers include:

• Amartyo Sen, GTM, Government & Public Sector, OpenAI
• Pam Kramer, CEO, KC2026
• Meg Kane, CEO, Philadelphia Soccer 2026
• Monica Paul, President, Dallas / North Texas FWC Organizing Committee
• Chris Canetti, President, Houston 2026 Host Committee
• Zaileen Janmohamed, CEO, Bay Area Host Committee
• Patrick McCoy, CFO, Gateway Development Commission
• Brian Regli, Executive Director of Critical Investments for the Governor, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• Quentin Palfrey, Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Hope Knight, President, CEO and Commissioner, Empire State Development
• Ben Walsh, Mayor, City of Syracuse
• Ras Baraka Mayor, City of Newark
• Frank Scott, Mayor of Little Rock
• Steven Reed, Mayor, City of Montgomery; President, African American Mayors Association
• Lydon Sleeper, U.S. Strategic Policy Lead, Joby Aviation
• Melissa McCaffrey, Head of Government Affairs, Archer Aviation
• Byron Roelofsz, AI Solutions Director, Sand Technologies
• Gwen Lighter, CEO and Founder, GoAERO
• Majora Carter, MacArthur Genius Award winner
• Jumbi Edulbehram, Director of Global Business Development for Smart Cities and Spaces, NVIDIA
• Ali Hasan, WWPS Partnerships for IoT and Smart Cities, Amazon Web Services
• Tamara Fields, U.S. Public Service Industry Lead, Accenture
• Steve Segerlin, Head of Commercial Development, Amtrak
• Colin Ahern, Chief Cyber Officer, State of New York
• Matthew Fraser, Chief Technology Officer, City of New York
• Binu Thomas, Senior Advisor to CEO for World Cup Planning, NJ TRANSIT
• Michael Leo, Captain, FDNY Robotics, City of New York
• Kimberly LaGrue, Chief Information Officer, City of New Orleans
• Brian O'Neal, Assistant Chief, Clark County Fire Department, State of Nevada
• Rohit Aggarwala, Chief Climate Officer, City of New York
• Leigh-Ann Buchanan, President & CEO, Miami-Dade Innovation Authority
• Julie Samuels, CEO, Tech:NYC
• Troy Duffie, Director, Financial Markets, Milken Institute
• Jeff Merritt, Head of Urban Transformation, World Economic Forum

The full list of speakers can be found online here. Additional speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

The 2025 event, themed "Future-Ready Cities," will feature insightful discussions focused on AI, infrastructure, transportation, security, climate, and finance. Event topics of interest will include: AI across all sectors, transportation, electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, eVTOLs and other forms of mobility, cutting-edge infrastructure, clean energy and decarbonization, data centers, quantum computing, and semiconductors, security and emergency management, connectivity, and government innovation. The full agenda can be found online here.

The event will also focus on the intersection of sports, business, and technology. Drawing on insights from the 2024 Olympic Games ahead of major U.S.-based sporting events including the 2026 FIFA World Cup and LA28 Olympic Games, discussions will cover the future of smart transportation and how cities can modernize their infrastructure, drive economic development, and transform communities around major international sporting events.

Media are invited to apply for press credentials to cover the 2025 Smart City Expo USA online here. For questions, reach out to [email protected].

Contact: Robert Howard, [email protected]

SOURCE Smart City Expo USA