2025’s Cities for Talent Meeting was hosted in Bologna between the 28th and 30th of October.
Between 28 and 30 October 2025, Bologna hosted the Cities for Talent Meeting – an international gathering organised by the Metropolitan City and the Municipality of Bologna, in collaboration with ART-ER and the Bologna for Talent initiative. The event focuses on exchanging experiences and strategies related to attracting, supporting, and developing talent at both the urban and European scale.
The meeting aims to deepen collaboration among European cities and encourage practical discussions on local talent strategies. Particular attention will be given to attracting international professionals, facilitating professional mobility, and building appealing environments for skilled workers to live and work.
The Cities for Talent Meeting is part of the International Talent Network (ITN), a European alliance of cities working together to design and implement shared approaches for drawing and retaining international talent.
This event marks a further step in consolidating cooperation between European partners in areas such as talent mobility, regional innovation, and social inclusion. Within this context, Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna Region continue to advance their commitment to valuing people and expertise, guided by Regional Law No. 2 of 14 February 2023, “Attracting, valuing and promoting highly specialised talent in Emilia-Romagna.”
Building on the success of our annual meetings in Barcelona, Utrecht, and Bologna, the International Talent Network is proud to announce that the Brno Expat Centre will host the fourth edition of Cities for Talent from September 22–24, 2026, in Brno, Czech Republic.
In October 2024 a three-day congress took place in Utrecht to foster an environment of exchange and collaboration, sharing best practices and growing a network to support the international community.
Barcelona hosted the first edition of the Cities for Talent Meeting in 2023. This two-day event brought together leading experts and professionals from cities and regions with innovative programs for attracting and retaining international talent.
