Córdoba’s Turn: Regenerative Happiness Builds a ‘City of Happiness’ Ecosystem

After lighting up Buenos Aires with the World Happiness Fest 2025, the wave of Regenerative Happiness rolled into Córdoba – Argentina’s historic city known for its first university and thriving tech sector. Just days after Buenos Aires “transformed into a vibrant laboratory of joy”, Córdoba hosted its own edition of the global happiness movement, carrying forward the momentum and setting the stage for the next gathering in Mendoza. The theme of 2025 – Regenerative Happiness – continued to guide these events as a “practical path to achieving peace, rooted in the well-being of individuals and the planet”. In Córdoba, that vision took on local flavor: a focus on building an Ecosystem of Well-Being that could turn the city into a living model of happiness-driven development.

Continuing the Regenerative Happiness Journey

In Buenos Aires on November 13, hundreds came together across generations, sectors, and cultures to be happiness rather than just talk about it. The festival’s success in the capital – where city officials, educators, businesses, and artists aligned around well-being – offered a glimpse of what happens “when leadership, community, art, education, and enterprise align around well-being”. That momentum flowed directly into the World Happiness Fest Córdoba, held a week later at the Centro Cultural Córdoba. With the backing of the World Happiness Foundation (WHF), this was the first time the global festival touched down in Córdoba province, projecting the provincial capital as a new Latin American capital of “intelligent well-being”.

Officials from the Córdoba government opened the event, signaling public commitment to happiness as a policy goal. The gathering was part of a polycentric global festival – one of dozens of WHF events worldwide – and it brought an international endorsement similar to the Buenos Aires edition. Leaders from Spain, Mexico, Chile, the U.S., Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and beyond joined local academics, entrepreneurs, and social innovators in Córdoba. Together, they explored how healing and renewal – the essence of Regenerative Happiness – can create more harmonious communities. Crucially, they also asked the question Buenos Aires had posed: what does a city that truly cares about happiness look like? Panels in the capital had examined how governments weave well-being into public policy. Now, Córdoba’s authorities and change-makers set out to turn that vision into reality, aiming to transform their own city into a “City of Happiness.”

Shaping an Ecosystem of Well-Being in Córdoba

Córdoba’s World Happiness Fest emphasized emotional well-being and human-centered values. During one session, the words “Somos seres emocionales que razonan” (“We are emotional beings who reason”) lit up the stage, underscoring the event’s focus on placing human emotions and needs at the core of innovation.

Local leaders in Córdoba embraced the challenge of building a well-being ecosystem from the ground up. “Córdoba siempre ha sido revolucionaria: tenemos la primera universidad del país, un polo tecnológico consolidado y un enorme caudal de talento,” noted Soledad Kempa – co-founder of the Ecosistema de Bienestar initiative – as she highlighted the province’s strengths (“Córdoba has always been revolutionary: we have the country’s first university, a solid tech hub, and enormous talent”). Kempa, who spearheaded the Congress in Córdoba, believes the city has all the conditions to lead in this new paradigm of “bienestar inteligente” (smart well-being). The festival was organized by the World Happiness Foundation alongside Córdoba’s own Instituto de Bienestar (Well-Being Institute), ensuring local context and leadership were front and center. Provincial authorities even declared the event of provincial tourist interest, underscoring institutional support to make well-being part of the region’s identity.

From the outset, government officials, including Córdoba’s city and provincial representatives, actively participated – not only in ceremonial welcomes but in panels on public policy for happiness. Their presence was a statement: Córdoba’s public sector is on board to integrate happiness and well-being into governance. “Córdoba reúne todas las condiciones para ser sede… es el corazón del país, un territorio con una fuerza histórica y educativa única,” affirmed Gaspar Contreras of the World Happiness Foundation, underscoring that Córdoba was the perfect host (“Córdoba has all the conditions to host this; it’s the heart of the country, with unique historical and educational strength”). By hosting this first WHF Congress, Córdoba “reafirma su vocación de liderazgo regional en bienestar, innovación social y desarrollo humano” – reaffirmed its intent to lead the region in well-being, social innovation and human development. Local organizers and officials voiced a commitment to continue building “policies, spaces and organizational cultures that put people at the center”, effectively laying groundwork for a true City of Happiness.

Technology, Innovation, and Collaboration at the Core

If one word encapsulates Córdoba’s approach to happiness, it is interdisciplinary. The event’s official title – International Congress of Well-Being, Technology and Education – hinted at this cross-cutting focus. Over three days, the Congress gathered specialists from fields as diverse as medicine, mental health, human resources, education, arts, and tech entrepreneurship. Their mission: to connect the dots between innovation and quality of life. “Córdoba tiene las condiciones para articular el potencial educativo y tecnológico… con las nuevas demandas de bienestar a nivel global,” Kempa explained ahead of the event (“Córdoba has the conditions to link its educational and technological potential with new global well-being demands”). With a strong university ecosystem and a vibrant software industry, the city is poised to blend tech talent with well-being initiatives.

That vision was evident throughout the Fest. In one panel, local startups like Exomindset and Creativos Digitales showcased cutting-edge ideas at the intersection of innovation and purpose. From robots and AI designed to support mental health to educational technology for teaching socio-emotional skills, the message was clear: technology and happiness can go hand in hand. Another session, “Tecnología y educación socioemocional,” demonstrated how digital platforms are being used to teach emotional intelligence in schools. Dr. Diego Conci took the stage to explore advances in medicine for well-being, while other experts highlighted wellness tourism, sustainable urban design, and workplace well-being innovations – all leveraging new methodologies to “mejorar la vida en comunidad” (improve life in the community).

Interdisciplinary collaboration was not just a buzzword but a lived reality at the festival. City officials sat alongside psychologists and startup founders; academics exchanged ideas with corporate CEOs and mindfulness coaches. “Teachers sat next to CEOs, students next to spiritual leaders, public servants next to social entrepreneurs,” as had been seen in Buenos Airesl – and Córdoba mirrored that same rich mix of perspectives. By intentionally bringing these sectors together, the Fest created a space where previously siloed actors could find each other. One objective, Kempa noted, was to connect individuals and groups “que están trabajando de manera aislada… y que no sabe que el otro existe” – those working in isolation not realizing others are out there – to form a more unified well-being movement. The result was an exchange of ideas that crossed disciplines and industries, sparking new alliances devoted to collective flourishing.

Well-Being in All Dimensions: Corporate, Educational, Emotional, Digital, Urban

Córdoba’s Happiness Fest made it clear that well-being is multidimensional – touching every aspect of society. The agenda deliberately covered a wide range of well-being dimensions, ensuring that happiness wasn’t discussed in the abstract but in the concrete contexts of daily life:

• Corporate Well-Being: How companies can create healthy, purpose-driven workplaces. Business leaders and consultants explored building “organizaciones donde la gente pueda prosperar, no solo sobrevivir” – organizations where people thrive rather than merely survive. A panel of Argentine executives (from firms like Grupo Arcor and ICT startups) shared how Chief Well-Being Officers and new HR strategies are making employee happiness a strategic priority. One popular talk by Paula Dinaro, titled “Gracias a Dios es Lunes” (“Thank God It’s Monday”), captured the spirit of shifting corporate culture – suggesting Mondays can spark gratitude when workplaces have a soul. These ideas echoed the Buenos Aires discussions that Mondays need not be dreaded when organizations foster meaning and psychological safetyl.
  
• Educational Well-Being: Bringing happiness into schools and universities. Speakers like Juan Pablo Cmet of Fundación Córdoba Mejora described introducing emotional education in classrooms to nurture students’ social-emotional skills from an early age. Córdoba’s strong academic heritage powered conversations about training teachers in mindfulness and well-being, resonating with themes from Buenos Aires where education leaders insisted “education must also be about emotional literacy, mental health, and the capacity to flourish”l. The presence of young students, school principals, and even sports coaches (sharing how emotional resilience is key for athletes) underlined that learning environments must care for hearts as much as minds.
  
• Emotional Well-Being: Mental health, emotional intelligence, and personal growth. Many sessions dove into the “salud integral” – the integral health – of individuals. Psychiatrists and psychologists, including Carolina Bergoglio (director of Argentina’s Instituto del Bienestar) and Chile’s Daniel Martínez Aldunate, addressed topics like stress, anxiety, and the science of happiness. Attendees practiced mindfulness in on-site quiet rooms and engaged in guided meditations and yoga, embracing what Buenos Aires had demonstrated: happiness is “a concrete, trainable capacity supported by science and daily practice”. Emotional intelligence emerged as a recurring theme; as one Cordoban attendee noted, “somos seres emocionales que razonan” – we are emotional beings that reason (not the other way around) – a reminder that caring for our emotional life is foundational to decision-making and well-being.
  
• Digital Well-Being: Harnessing technology for happiness, not harm. Uniquely, the Córdoba event shone a spotlight on digital innovation as a force for good in mental health and community connection. Tech entrepreneurs and educators unveiled apps, robots, and digital platforms aimed at reducing stress and loneliness, teaching mindfulness, and enhancing social connection. Panels discussed the ethical use of technology for collective well-being, acknowledging both the immense potential of digital tools and the need to guard against tech-driven burnout. The local tech sector’s involvement – from software CEOs to AI researchers – showed a commitment to making Córdoba a hub of “Human Tech”: technology that prioritizes human flourishing. In a city proud of its aerospace and software industries, this meant channeling innovation toward social impact. As a result, Córdoba’s festival embodied Bienestar 4.0 – well-being in the fourth industrial revolution – where bytes and well-being go together.
  
• Urban Well-Being: City design, public policy, and community happiness. Given Córdoba’s urban identity and rich history, it was fitting that urban well-being was front and center. The festival opened with government authorities from Córdoba outlining their vision of a city built around bienestar (well-being). Inspired by the “Ciudades de Felicidad” concept introduced in Buenos Airesl, urban planners and officials in Córdoba discussed how parks, public spaces, cultural programs, and even economic policies can be oriented toward maximizing citizens’ quality of life. From well-being tourism initiatives to city council programs measuring happiness (Córdoba has even started tracking a Happiness Index alongside economic stats), the message was that urban development and happiness go hand in hand. One of Córdoba’s aims is to become a prototype City of Happiness – a place where every neighborhood, school, and workplace is engaged in elevating well-being. The Congress reinforced this aim by having city legislators, mayors, and provincial ministers actively collaborate with happiness experts on stage, ensuring that ideas generated were heard by those in positions to implement them.
  

These interconnected dimensions all found a home under Córdoba’s Ecosystem of Well-Being. As local news noted, the event “abordó las tendencias del bienestar actual: la educación emocional, la felicidad organizacional y corporativa, la sostenibilidad, la inteligencia emocional, el turismo de bienestar, la inclusión laboral y el uso ético de la tecnología” – it addressed today’s well-being trends: emotional education, organizational and corporate happiness, sustainability, emotional intelligence, wellness tourism, labor inclusion, and ethical tech use. In sum, happiness was discussed not in a vacuum, but across every realm of life – from the boardroom to the classroom, from our screens to our cities.

From Córdoba to Mendoza: A Growing Movement

As the Córdoba Congress came to a close with an immersive art-and-music círculo de felicidad (circle of happiness) and a collective mindfulness session, it was clear this was more than a conference – it was the spark of a movement in the city. Attendees left not just with business cards, but with new partners, ideas, and the resolve to keep building this ecosystem of well-being locally. “El Congreso… no solo dejó aprendizajes y nuevas alianzas, sino también el compromiso de seguir construyendo… espacios y culturas organizacionales que coloquen a las personas en el centro,” one report concluded – the event not only left lessons and new alliances, but also a commitment to keep building spaces and cultures that put people at the center. In other words, Córdoba’s journey as a City of Happiness has truly begun.

This continuity of Regenerative Happiness now heads west to Mendoza, where the next World Happiness Fest gathering is poised to build on Argentina’s happiness momentum. “¡Seguimos expandiendo la ola de la Felicidad Regenerativa en Argentina!” proclaimed the organizers – we continue expanding the wave of Regenerative Happiness in Argentina – as they announced the upcoming Mendoza edition. Scheduled for December 4–6 in the foothills of the Andes, the Mendoza fest (billed as the II International Congress of Happiness) will explore “Leadership, Purpose, Innovation, and Well-Being — at work, in education, in our cities, and within our communities”. In many ways, this picks up right where Córdoba left off: diving even deeper into how enlightened leadership and innovation can embed well-being into every sector of society. Mendoza – a city famed for wine and natural beauty – “vuelve a ser el epicentro mundial de la felicidad” (“is becoming the world epicenter of happiness once again”) in early December, signaling that the happiness revolution is not a one-city wonder, but a chain reaction spreading across regions.

For those who participated in Córdoba, the spirit of collaboration and optimism now carries into Mendoza. Policymakers who saw what worked in Córdoba’s labs of joy will meet entrepreneurs and educators in Mendoza to trade lessons on sustaining this movement. The theme Regenerative Happiness will continue to tie these gatherings together, emphasizing renewal – be it personal healing, community rebuilding, or ecological sustainability – as the path to lasting joy. As World Happiness Foundation President Luis Gallardo reminded us during the Córdoba event, the mission is to make happiness, consciousness, and freedom universal human rights, not privileges. Achieving that means every city must become a happiness hub in its own way.

A New Model for Cities and Beyond

Córdoba’s experience showcases a hopeful model: when a city’s leaders, businesses, educators, and citizens unite around well-being, “happiness stops being a slogan and becomes a shared way of being in the world”l. What was once an abstract ideal starts to look like measurable progress – in healthier workplaces, more empathetic schools, more inclusive tech design, and friendlier public spaces. The World Happiness Fest in Córdoba turned these ideas into tangible experiences: mindfulness stations in government halls, tech demos for mental health, art installations about joy, and frank policy dialogues all under one roof. It treated happiness not as a mere personal pursuit, but as a systemic goal, something that communities build together.

From Buenos Aires to Córdoba – and soon in Mendoza – Argentina’s 2025 happiness journey underlines a key lesson: Regenerative Happiness grows stronger as it moves forward. Each city builds on the last, learning, adapting and inspiring the next. In Córdoba, a new ecosystem of well-being has taken root, backed by public institutions and energized by grassroots innovation. It’s a living example of regenerative change – where the joy and insights generated don’t end with the event, but rather enrich the soil for the next event, the next city, and the next generation.

As we look ahead to Mendoza and beyond, the invitation is open to all: policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, and the public. The happiness movement thrives on broad participation. Córdoba showed what’s possible when a city commits to being a laboratory of happiness. Now, that spirit travels on. Each of these gatherings is a chapter in a larger story – one of cities and communities learning not only to measure well-being, but to live it, together. And as that story unfolds, Argentina is emerging as a beacon of Regenerative Happiness in action, proving that an ecosystem of well-being is not just an idealistic notion, but a concrete, achievable reality.

Luis Gallardo, “World Happiness Fest Turns Buenos Aires into a Living Laboratory of Joy,” LinkedIn (Nov. 14, 2025) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/world-happiness-fest-turns-buenos-aires-living-joy-gallardo-a2srf#:~:text=The%20first%20thematic%20block%2C%20%E2%80%9CCiudades,the%20emotional%20life%20of%20citizens

Florencia Guttlein, “Córdoba se consolida como referente regional con el Congreso Internacional de Bienestar,” La Ribera Web (Nov. 25, 2025) https://www.lariberaweb.com/cordoba-se-consolida-como-referente-regional-con-el-congreso-internacional-de-bienestar/#:~:text=Con%20esta%20primera%20edici%C3%B3n%20en,innovaci%C3%B3n%20social%20y%20desarrollo%20humano

InfoNegocios, “Córdoba quiere ser feliz… la ciudad se prepara para ser epicentro global del bienestar…,” (Nov. 12, 2025) https://infonegocios.info/enfoque/cordoba-quiere-ser-feliz-y-lo-dice-en-serio-la-ciudad-se-prepara-para-ser-epicentro-global-del-bienestar-la-tecnologia-y-la-educacion#:~:text=a%20experimentar%20el%20bienestar%20desde,distintos%20%C3%A1ngulos

CBA24n, “Córdoba se ubica como referente regional en el mapa de la industria del bienestar,” (Nov. 15, 2025) https://www.cba24n.com.ar/cordoba/cordoba-se-ubica-como-referente-regional-en-el-mapa-de-la-industria-del-bienestar_a691890b102bc436ca1d58a88#:~:text=%E2%80%9CEn%20C%C3%B3rdoba%20%E2%80%94aclara%E2%80%94%20el%20Gobierno,bienestar%20que%20tienen%20los%20individuos%E2%80%9D

World Happiness Fest 2025 – Theme Announcement https://www.worldhappinessfest.com/online#:~:text=Image ; World Happiness Latam – Event Announcement https://www.instagram.com/p/DOxGe4Xjb6n/#:~:text=World%20Happiness%20Foundation%20on%20Instagram,cities%2C%20and%20within%20our%20communities ; Córdoba Event Agenda (Nov. 18–20, 2025).