The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the city of West Hollywood will host the State of the City: “City of the Future” event on Wednesday, June 19, from 6 to 9 p.m. at the 1 Hotel West Hollywood, formerly called the Jeremy Hotel.

West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran participated in last year’s State of the City event while he served as mayor. (photo by Jon Viscott/courtesy of the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce)

The pace of technological change is often confounding traditional cities as they wrestle with existing challenges and competing priorities. This year’s State of the City, presented by Essence WeHo, will focus on urban innovation, technology and the WeHo Smart City Initiative.

The WeHo Smart City Initiative is the city’s effort to embrace the rapid pace of innovation by using technology to enhance operations and make efficient use of community resources to create and protect a connected, egalitarian citizen experience.

“Meaningful integration of technology into our lives must not subvert the gemlike qualities and treasures of daily life in West Hollywood, our regular creativity, our curiosity and our questioning to achieve speed and efficiency,” said Mayor John D’Amico, who will also be a featured speaker of the evening.

With D’Amico, City Manager Paul Arevalo, West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Chair Nick Rimedio, and Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Genevieve Morrill will share their thoughts on the economic and social climate, new initiatives and vision of growth for West Hollywood from one stage.

The event will also feature keynote speaker Ashley Z. Hand, co-founder and partner of the urban change management network Cityfi, who will discuss a more human-centered approach to smart cities.

“West Hollywood has always been forward-thinking and socially progressive, so it goes without saying that we should be leaders in urban innovation with a conscience,” Rimedio said.

Tickets are $175 per person.

1 Hotel West Hollywood is located at at 8490 W. Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. For information and tickets, visit wehochamber.com/state-of-the-city, or contact Lauren Goldstein at the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce at (323)650-2688 or lgoldstein@wehochamber.com.