A virtual journey through the streets of Milan face to face with innovation

From October 10 to 14, it will be possible to experience an interactive event and participate in talks and round tables on Artificial Intelligence, robotics, blockchain, sustainability, gender equality, and professions of the future.

You can access it through this link

Milan, September 25, 2024 – On the occasion of Milano Digital Week 2024, scheduled from October 10 to 14, Il Tram dell’Innovazione, organized by Women&Tech® ETS - Association of Women and Technologies in collaboration with ABB, Banca Generali, Banca Mediolanum, ETT, Fastweb, Iride Acque, Mediobanca Innovation Services, SAP, TeamSystem, and with the technical support of DKTS, returns to travel in the Metaverse on the world-leading platform The Nemesis.

Conceived in 2018 by Gianna Martinengo, president of the Association, as a "mobile place" where citizens could connect with the protagonists of digital transformation, the tram has involved, physically or virtually, over 20,000 participants in six editions who have been able to listen to the testimonies of 113 experts through talks, round tables, and workshops.

Thanks to the metaverse, the tram evolves into a place that allows anyone, from anywhere in the world, to board it and experience an interactive and engaging journey that combines tradition – the tram – with innovation, represented by the ‘technological’ future awaiting citizens, institutions, and companies, making knowledge travel through physical, social, and cognitive space.

The 2024 edition program features a rich calendar of appointments with representatives from institutions, companies, schools, universities, and research who will take turns at the virtual tram controls to discuss topics currently at the heart of innovation: Artificial Intelligence, robotics, blockchain, sustainability, gender equality, professions of the future. The series of events will be introduced by the institutional greetings of Arianna Censi, Mobility Councillor of the City of Milan.

The historic vintage ATM tram and the new Tramlink recreated in the metaverse will move in a virtual space inspired by the central streets of Milan, starting and ending at Piazza della Scala, an iconic location in the city. Participants will be able to board using personalized avatars and interact in real time with speakers and other users. They will have the freedom to move within the virtual environment, explore different areas, and actively participate in the available initiatives.

The Innovation Tram also aims to engage younger generations with gamification activities during the Tram rides, such as a virtual clean-up in the city that users can freely explore and where they can collect plastic, paper, and other small waste they come across.

To complete the experience, on the morning of October 14th, at Palazzo Giureconsulti, there will also be a physical "speed date" event, organized in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Milan Monza Brianza Lodi and its Committee for Female Entrepreneurship, dedicated to Generation Z. Female and male students and young people will have the opportunity to meet and engage in dialogue with the protagonists of innovation and change from companies, institutions, universities, and the research world, receiving valuable advice, inspiration, and visions about the future of technology and innovation. An inspirational appointment, but also an opportunity to promote networking and the building of relationships that can positively influence young people’s careers. The meeting between mentors and mentees will be opened by the institutional greetings of Alessia Cappello, Councillor for Economic Development and Labor Policies of the Municipality of Milan. Speakers will include Gianna Martinengo, President of Women&Tech® ETS, and Chiara Benedetta Cormanni, President of the Committee for Female Entrepreneurship of the Chamber of Commerce of Milan Monza Brianza Lodi.

“New technologies revolutionize our lives every day. Given the speed of innovation, however, it is not always easy to understand their potential or how they will affect our lives, with the risk of misuse or that new technologies leave some people behind. The Innovation Tram was born from the desire to allow all citizens to come into contact with the protagonists of innovation, to understand and engage”. Declared Gianna Martinengo, founder and president of Women&Tech® ETS, who added: “we are very happy that since the last edition, precisely technological innovation has allowed us to make our tram even bigger, going beyond Milan’s borders to reach people all over the world”.

The experience will be accessible both from iOS and Android smartphones, as well as through a browser by registering at this link. The talks will also be broadcast on the Milano Digital Week website.

It will be possible to access the metaverse and review the content of talks and round tables until the next edition of Milan Digital Week, in 2025.

Media Partners of the 2024 edition of the Innovation Tram are DigiTech.News, Donna Moderna, QN Il Giorno.