Industry leaders address consumerization of smart home services at 21st-annual executive conference, May 23-25, in San Francisco

Leading IoT research firm Parks Associates announced today that Cox Communications will deliver a keynote address at the 21st-annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, May 23-25, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport. Kristine Faulkner, SVP/GM, COX Homelife, will present the keynote address “What About the Customer? Bridging the Divide in Smart Home Services” at 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, May 24, and address how the industry can reach mass consumerization of smart home services.

“Consumers recognize the expansive possibilities inherent in smart home technologies, which allow them to leverage the same connectivity to stream a movie, control their thermostat, and secure the home,” said Tom Kerber, Director of IoT Strategy, Parks Associates. “CONNECTIONS™ explores the full range of possibilities for companies active in the connected home, including ways the industry can move beyond first-time buyers to achieve mass-market adoption.”

Currently 26% of U.S. broadband households own at least one smart home device, but more and more of these products are bought as standalone devices, with the expectation that they will all work together. Parks Associates forecasts by 2020, annual U.S. revenues from smart home controllers will exceed $1.3 billion.

Companies need to develop smart home ecosystem strategies that can create premium value and long-term revenue. Faulkner will discuss these strategies to bridge the divide between first-time buyers and mass consumerization of smart home services.

The 2017 CONNECTIONS™Conference offers a mix of market research, analysis, and industry insight from key industry leaders – an approach unique among conferences and necessary to capture the complexity and opportunities in these interconnected markets.

Faulkner is the operational and innovative leader focused on driving growth of the Cox Homelife and Smart Home market - one of Cox's fastest growing services divisions. She oversees all related operational strategies for this business unit, including marketing, sales, customer experience, and advanced services development.

“The smart home and security services market has great potential to invite consumers into a new era of possibility in how they interact and manage their daily lives. Consumers want to be at ease and cared for and that is especially important given where consumer sentiments are today,” Faulkner said. “Cox is playing a big part in that movement, and we are able to introduce consumers to capabilities they may not be aware of when they are selecting new broadband, entertainment services, moving or upgrading. This year, Cox has embarked on a nationwide Cox Smart Home tour in our communities demonstrating how families are creatively combining Cox services with dozens of devices and applications to build their custom connected home of the future.”

This year’s CONNECTIONS™ Conference will also feature the following keynote speakers:

• Matt Eyring, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer, Vivint Smart Home
• Miles Kingston, GM of Smart Home, Intel
• Rahul Patel, SVP and GM of Connectivity, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
• Sridhar Solur, Senior Vice President, Product & Development for Xfinity Home, Internet of Things and Data Services, Comcast

CONNECTIONS™ sponsors: Intel Corporation, Vivint Smart Home, Asurion, Greenwave Systems, Assurant Solutions, HelloTech, Xively by LogMeIn, Alarm.com, Centercode, ROC-Connect, Support.com, ULE Alliance, Verisk, AMT Warranty, Arrayent, Audio Analytic, August Home, Ayla Networks, Cirrent, Cross Country Home Services, Deutsche Telekom, EVRYTHNG, FIBARO, mnubo, OneEvent Technologies, Somfy, Whisker Labs, Z-Wave, Amazon Alexa, HomeAdvisor, Nortek Security & Control, Tyco, leakSMART™, and MivaTek.

CONNECTIONS™ supporters include Antenna, B2 Group, BayPay Forum, Bedrock Learning, Best Web Design Agencies, Bestseos.com, Bluetooth SIG, BoogarLists, CABA, CEDIA, CIOReview, CoPE, Conference Guru, Cord Cutters News, Council, CrowdReviews.com, Digital Entertainment Group, Digital Trends, Entertainment Merchants Association, FierceCable, FierceOnlineVideo, FierceTelecom, FierceWireless, FierceWireless Tech, Finpro, GeoMarketing, Home Energy Magazine, HomeGrid Forum, Hometoys, i-Home, Innovation & Tech Today, Intelligent Health Association, Intergetic Forum, IoT Consortium, IoT Weekly News, ISE Magazine, KNXtoday, LonMark International, MoCA, oneM2M, Open Connectivity Foundation, Payments & Cards Network, PharmaVoice, ReadWrite, RHCC, Smart Grid Spain, TelcoProfessionals, Telecompaper, Thread Group, Topseos.com, TWICE, Visibility Magazine, and Wi-Fi Alliance.

To register for the 21st-annual CONNECTIONS™ Conference, visit http://bit.ly/CONNUSregistration. Press passes are available at http://bit.ly/CONNmediapass. To schedule an interview with an analyst or request specific research, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720.987.6614.

About CONNECTIONS™

Parks Associates' 29th annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference is hosted May 13-15 at Renaissance Dallas at Plano Legacy in Plano, Texas, and brings industry leaders together to provide insights and business forecasting about the adoption of technology including broadband, smart home, security, connected health, energy, and home automation.

CONNECTIONS™ provides ongoing insights throughout the year with virtual and in-person conference sessions. Parks Associates' analyst team leads the conference sessions, which are focused on technology innovations, consumer adoption and trends, product and service forecasts, and the evaluation of new business strategies, partnerships, monetization opportunities, and value-added service design.

CONNECTIONS™ is a pivotal platform for partnerships and exploring the future of technology adoption and its impact on consumers and businesses. www.connectionsus.com