Japan’s second largest city, Yokohama has been chosen to host the 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (IEEE ICRA 2024). Organized by the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society, the event will return to Japan for the first time since 2009.

IEEE ICRA 2024 will be a hybrid conference with 25,000 participants (5,000 in-person including 4,000 from overseas) and 20,000 online, drawing on Yokohama’s expertise in holding hybrid conferences since 2020.

The event will be held on May 13–17, 2024 at Pacifico Yokohama, one of Japan’s largest conference and exhibitions centres with a total space of 26,752 m2. The format of IEEE ICRA transitioned from in-person in 2019 (Montreal, Canada) to online in 2020 (Paris, France) to hybrid in 2021 (Xi-an, China).

The conference has been attracted in a joint effort by Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau (YCVB), Pacifico Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, the City of Yokohama, Japan Tourism Agency, and the Japan National Tourism Organization. The economic spillover of the event is expected to be around USD 9.2 million.

Japan’s high standard of research and Yokohama’s safety and convenience were among the deciding factors, according to Yokohama Convention & Visitors Bureau. Hiroko Kano of YCVB said: “Yokohama is a relaxing port city. Less congested than other cities, we are able to secure social distancing for delegates.”