In addition to the location, organizers have announced the first round of scheduled speakers for the event. That list includes former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as well as Baltimore's chief data officer, Justin Elszasz. Other speakers include academics, journalists, podcasters and govtech-adjacent innovation leaders from companies like Microsoft.
The event has also confirmed high-profile attendees, namely mayors from many cities across the globe. The list of attending mayors includes leaders from Athens, Greece; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Dublin, Ireland; Freetown, Sierra Leone; Reykjavik, Iceland; and Cincinnati, Ohio, among many others.
As always, the event will include programming such as panel discussions, one-on-one interviews, interactive breakout sessions, artistic performances and off-site excursions to relevant destinations in Amsterdam. Topics will include the critical issues that face cities today, such as governing with pandemic uncertainty, why so many cities are trying to become hubs for crypto, digital equity and more.
Organizers noted in their announcement that Amsterdam — like nearly every city across the globe — has been profoundly impacted by the pandemic, yet has still worked to find ways to innovate within their recovery.
“Amsterdam is quickly becoming a hub for technology companies, immigrants from around the world, and a city where many decide to live and work because of our thriving cultural offerings and quality of life,” said Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, in a statement. “We are proud to be the host of this prestigious and vital convening, gathering some of the world’s most responsive and innovative leaders facing challenges that we are all facing on the front lines of government service.”
Mayor Halsema is slated to participate in more discussions throughout the upcoming event.
CityLab is organized by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with the Aspen Institute, and it has previously taken place in New York City, Los Angeles, London, Miami, Paris, Detroit, and, most recently, Washington, D.C., with the latest in-person event being held in 2019. The 2021 CityLab was a virtual event, split between a number of digital hosts cities, including Bogotá, Helsinki and San Francisco.
