"Pace of development with smart home technology is awe inspiring"

Technological innovation, partnering and customer engagement are all key themes which are explored at the third Smart Homes conference and exhibition taking place in Amsterdam from 9-11 October this year. The event forms part of the largest European utilities event which will gather more than 6500 energy professionals.

Says the Smart Homes director Ed Butler: "The pace of development with smart home technology is awe inspiring. Almost daily we hear of new technologies and innovative products being piloted or deployed to the mass market. With all kinds of stakeholders piling into the market from car manufactures such as Honda to utilities like E.ON and telco operators such as Telefonica, it is no longer a case of which major companies have entered the market, but who is choosing to remain outside the bear pit. Amongst those, there are a few key operators which the market is keeping tabs on, most notably Apple and Google. Google has already had a fleeting foray into the market but we are waiting for them to throw their full weight behind this "

The value of partnering
However, there remain core obstacles to achieving mass market uptake says Butler: "As much of the technology is still in its infancy, costs are still to come down over the next few years. Part of the solution to this will be greater integration and interoperability amongst technologies. Companies are increasingly learning the value of partnering, a prime example being the Qivicon platform which brings together the might of Miele, Samsung, Deutsche Telekom, E.ON and EnBW amongst others."

He continues: "Not only does partnering bring together the best of various technologies; it also pulls together the strengths of diverse company strategies. Telcos partnering with utilities in developing home energy management tools, for example, brings together an existing utility presence in the home with the smart phone platform and a more robust customer engagement strategy traditionally held by the telcos."
Speaker highlights at Smart Homes 2012 include:
 Colin Calder, CEO and Founder, PassivSystems, UK
 Alexander Pippert, Head of Smart Home, E.ON, Germany
 Peter Crayfourd, Group Head of Customer Experience Lifestyle, France Telecom, UK
 Renaud Di Francesco, Director, European Technology Standards, Sony, UK
 Vassilis Seferidis, Director of Business Development, Samsung Electronics, UK
 Marco Romero Rodriguez, Head of Sustainability and Energy Efficiency, Telefonica, Spain
 Timo Liiri, Head of Products and Delivery, Fortum, Finland

Smart Homes 2012 takes place alongside Metering, Billing/CRM Europe and Transmission & Distribution Europe, forming the largest utility event on the continent.

Event dates and location:
9-11 October 2012
Amsterdam RAI, The Netherlands

Event website:
www.smarthomes-europe.com

For more information or media accreditation:
Communications manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone : ++27 21 700 3558
Mobile : ++27 82 562 7844
Email : annemarie.roodbol@clarionevents.com