New conference inspires innovation for fueling cities of the future
SAN ANTONIO—CPS Energy recently partnered with Zpryme—an Austin-based, energy-focused research, media and events agency—to present the first “City of the Future” conference, a two-day event bringing together the experts and leaders behind San Antonio’s smart-city vision, with a range of international innovators from around the world who focus on mobility, community engagement and inclusive design.
The utility believes the “City of the Future” model can help to shape and inspire San Antonio’s future.
“We’ve been the energy provider for our community for 158 years,” Jonathan Tijerina, CPS Energy’s senior director of corporate communications, marketing and smart-city outreach, told American Gas. “We want to think globally, exchange ideas, create a broader dialogue about the possibilities—and apply it here in San Antonio.
“The benefit of knowing that this energy industry disruption is happening gives us the opportunity to create a forum where our customers and partners can get more perspective about what we have ahead of us as a city,” Tijerina continued.
Although the utility has sponsored conferences in the past, he told us those gatherings were focused on the future of energy. “City of the Future,” on the other hand, stands out by focusing on smart-city strategies and how their promise and potential can best be enabled by energy.
“The primary goal was to bring thought leaders together in one venue to have a shared conversation,” Tijerina said. “There are professionals across the world with valuable perspectives on what it means to develop a community with the future in mind.”
The conference presented a wealth of those perspectives to more than 440 attendees, equipping them to return to their companies and communities with a vision for a future where the energy industry continues adding value to customers’ lives.
While this was the first “City of the Future” event, it won’t be the last. “We have a great relationship with our event partner, Zpryme, and will begin planning for the 2020 ‘City of the Future’ in the coming months,” Tijerina told us. “We look forward to welcoming energy thought leaders and participants to San Antonio, the city we call home.”
