The 3-day summit will bring together 200+ delegates, including the key European decision makers and leading industry stakeholders. It will offer a dual policy and business opportunity for stakeholders, and will include high-level discussions on the key policy considerations and numerous commercial opportunities available to companies across different sectors, including Transport, Retail, Health & Wellbeing, Energy and the Industrial Internet.
Both public and private sectors are looking for ways to adapt to the uncertain economic climate and to help spur economic regeneration. In addition, the demands to respond to the changing needs of citizens worldwide and to use resources more efficiently remains paramount.
The Internet of Things is seen by many stakeholders as the golden ticket to help tackle these challenges. Companies worldwide, including traditional economies and those industries associated with the primary sector, are now fully realising the potential of the different technologies. At the same time governments are also becoming increasingly aware of the role that IoT can play in meeting national priorities and softening the burden on the public purse.
Despite this, and in order to fully realise the potential of these technologies in both new and existing industries, a number of challenges must be overcome - balancing innovation with the need for protecting data and devices; encouraging industry collaborations and openness; delivering the networks that provide the required bandwidth; and creating awareness and achieving buy-in from both individuals and organisations.
This summit will examine the current IoT ecosystem in Europe and will explore the role of IoT in helping to make Europe a world leader in this area. Participants will also discuss the various opportunities and challenges that different industries face, and will be encouraged to examine the role of IoT in the key sectors by attending dedicated 'smart sessions' on days 2 and 3.