Rock in Rio Lisboa came to an end at the end of June with historic news. In four days of event, the festival reached the mark of 330 thousand people and debuted an unprecedented concept: transforming Cidade do Rock into an experimentation space for innovative solutions. The initiative, called Smart City of Rock, simulated in practice the functioning of a smart city and serves as a model for initiatives that can be implemented in the city. The person who closely followed the news was Beto Marcelino, founder and Chairman of the Board of the iCities Group, an innovation hub for smart cities based in Curitiba, who helped in structuring the new concept applied in this year's edition. "I saw that it is possible to take the concept of smart cities to a place that hosts almost 100 thousand people on an event day. You have all the problems that a city faces: logistics, security, high temperatures, climate, and the issue of moving in a more orderly way in search of food, drinks, bathrooms and even hygiene products", says Marcelino. Beto Marcelino, founder and Chairman of the Board of the iCities Group. Disclosure/iCities. How the idea came about Smart City of Rock was born from the meeting between the logistics of producing large events and the infrastructure applied in smart cities. To organize 330,000 people in four days, an event on the scale of Rock in Rio needs to take into consideration sectors that also make up city planning. In Lisbon, the initiative brought together 13 startups to contribute with solutions distributed across different axes: mobility, infrastructure and data integration, accessibility and sustainability. To put the idea into practice, a stand was set up in Cidade do Rock, where these startups presented applications to find free bathrooms and food, as well as recycling machines. In the area of ??mobility, unused parking spaces were connected to the festival's mobility plan. In infrastructure management, data from all partners were integrated in real time, feeding a digital twin, a virtual replica capable of expanding the organization's view of what was happening in the physical space. “The Rock in Rio monitoring center was interconnected with the Smart City of Rock, monitoring air quality, temperature and medical assistance”, reports Marcelino. This data integration also made it possible to manage the festival's bathroom flows and queues, with real-time capacity and waiting time information available to participants. On the accessibility and sustainability fronts, the event featured recycling solutions and spaces designed for specific audiences. “Two solutions were designed for people with disabilities, in very noble areas: an area for PwD and also an area for people with autism”, he adds. According to him, this entire structure represents an opportunity to test solutions with evaluation from the event users themselves. “Several solutions were made available at the event, which can be transferred to cities. On July 1st, a panel evaluated the possibility of bringing these solutions to the city of Lisbon, in agreement with the City Council and the City Hall", he highlights. "I believe that the legacy of a thought remains in the person who is there as a spectator: to have a better quality of life not only in terms of music and entertainment, but also a citizen's perspective", highlights Beto. Relationship with Brazil iCities acted as Business Connector for the Smart City of Rock, connecting the Brazilian innovation ecosystem to festival, in partnership with Liquid Innovation Co. “iCities is a pioneering brand, the first company in Brazil to raise the flag for smart cities, to hold the first event on the topic in the country and then bring internationalization, taking Brazil also to Europe, for the Barcelona events. I believe that Brazil's participation, through iCities, is natural in events involving the theme of smart cities, and Rock in Rio was no different. The members of Liquid who were in Brazil worked together at the 2025 event. There is a very close conversation between the organizers of Smart City of Rock and iCities, including thinking about future partnerships in events in which they participate in the organization, such as Rock in Rio in Rio de Janeiro, now in September", concludes Marcelino. About the iCities Group The iCities Group is a Brazilian holding company dedicated to driving the transformation of cities through innovation, technology and coordination between the public, private and academic sectors. With more than a decade of operation and headquartered in Curitiba (PR), the group is a national reference in the smart cities ecosystem and acts strategically to connect urban challenges to concrete and sustainable solutions. With a brand architecture that encompasses different areas of activity, iCities organizes events, promotes training programs, develops projects and strengthens collaboration networks across the country. This is one of its main business verticals. The iCities Group acts as a catalyst for innovative solutions to contemporary urban challenges, by combining purpose, knowledge, business and impact to build smarter, more sustainable and people-centered cities.