SmartThings, USAA, Comcast Xfinity, IBM, Alula, and more to speak at CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES in sessions on convergence of insurance and the smart home

Consumer research fromParks Associates finds more than 40% of U.S. broadband households consider the concept of a smart home to be appealing for their household. The international research firm will host its 13th-annual CONNECTIONS™ Summit: IoT and the Smart Home on January 8 at CES® 2019 in Las Vegas, featuring sessions discussing strategies to expand the smart home ecosystem and a networking reception sponsored by Homematic IP.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit sponsorsinclude Alarm.com, Alula, Asurion, Cirrent, F-Secure, Hive Home, Homematic IP, Inspire, Johnson Controls, Minim, ROC-Connect, and Trusource Labs.

Smart Home Platforms: Providing Value through Experiences, January 8 at 9:00 a.m., explores the potential of smart home platforms to deliver a unified and reliable consumer experience while also creating lasting business value.

Speakers:

• Rob Conant, CEO, Cirrent
• Dave Mayne, VP, Product Management, Alula
• Marcus Scheiber, CEO & Co-Founder, ROC-Connect
• Linden Tibbets, CEO, IFTTT
• Kellen Xu, Director, Global Business Development and Partnerships, SmartThings
• George Yianni, Head, Technology, Philips Hue - Signify

“Connected home technology adoption will increase dramatically based on delivery of elegantly integrated experiences that enable layers of value, both for the consumers that engage them as well as the enterprises that enable them,” said Dave Mayne, VP, Product Management, Alula. “However they must be connected to sustainable economic value for them to be meaningful.”

“Meeting the customer expectations by a clear and comprehensive experience will be crucial to success and further adoption,” said Marcus Scheiber, CEO & Co-Founder, ROC-Connect. “Important success factors of the early days, like device connectivity and compatibility, are becoming commodities and are turning into hygiene factors. True value to the customers will be built on experiences and clear value propositions that go far beyond the connected devices and eventually will touch all aspects of the home and its users by all kinds of value-added services.”

“Consumers want and deserve a seamless smart home experience,” said George Yianni, Head, Technology, Philips Hue at Signify. “Since Philips Hue’s inception, we’ve been committed to delivering an open ecosystem and frustration-free interoperability. This has enabled us to become the lighting partner of choice.”

Insurance, Consumers and IoT: New Business Models, January 8 at 2:00 p.m., offers insight into the unique convergence of the smart home and insurance markets.

Speakers:

• Daniel Behrendt, Head, Business Development, Resideo
• Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz, Electronics + Environment, Energy & Utilities Research Director, IBM Institute for Business Value
• Yuval Harry, Head, Partnerships, Hippo
• Jon-Michael Kowall, Assistant VP, Property Product Development & Innovation, USAA
• David Wechsler, Senior Director, Channels and Partnerships, Comcast Xfinity

"Smart home will enable the insurance industry to become proactive when bad things happen, while at the same time create new ways to interact with the consumer to make home ownership simpler," said Jon-Michael Kowall, Assistant VP, Property Product Development & Innovation, USAA.

Brad Russell, Director, Connected Home Research, Parks Associates, will moderate both sessions.

CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CESis a one-day executive summit that focuses on the best business models and value propositions in the Internet of Things (IoT), the smart home, and connected and mobile CE and services. The event includes six executive sessions, two special presentations, and a networking reception, sponsored by Homematic IP, on January 8, the opening day of CES.

For more information on Parks Associates research or events, visit www.parksassociates.com. To request data or an interview, contact Julia Homier at Julia.homier@parksassociates.com.

About CONNECTIONS™ Summit at CES

CONNECTIONS™ Summit is an annual research and industry event hosted by international research firm Parks Associates. The executive event brings senior executive leaders from the broadband, security and smart home, consumer electronics, and connected health solution markets to share insights on the future of connected homes.

The 19th annual CONNECTIONS™ Summit will take place January 7 during CES, which runs January 7-10, 2025, in Las Vegas.

For information about CONNECTIONS™ Summit, contact sales@parksassociates.com or call 972-490-1113 or visit www.connectionssummit.com.