In its fifth year, the IoTSWC will reveal the real scope of the digital transformation in different industrial sectors and businesses that are incorporating disruptive technologies such as IoT, blockchain and artificial intelligence into their activity. The major suppliers of industrial solutions and information technology providers heading this paradigm shift will take part as exhibitors, together with experts who will present the trends that are driving this rapidly-expanding market.
Organised by Fira de Barcelona in partnership with the Industrial Internet Consortium® (IIC™), now incorporating OpenFog, the 2019 IoTSWC has already confirmed the attendance of sponsors such as Wipro Digital, Microsoft, SAS, Vodafone, Kaspersky, Thingstream and Orange. The trade fair expects to bring together more than 380 exhibitors and 400 speakers at a decisive event, enabling them to make technological preparations in order to be able to face 2020 in a competitive way, a year that, from the point of view of many experts, will mark a turning point in technology. In this regard, a survey conducted in 2017 by the IoTSWC among its visitors showed that 45% of the companies attending the event were thinking of investing more than 1 million euros in IoT over the following three years.
Roger Bou, the Director of IoTSWC 2019, says: “All the forecasts indicate that there’ll be a significant technological leap in 2020, during which the maturity of technologies until recently regarded as non-revolutionary will be put to the test. Therefore, 2019 comes loaded with innovations and it will be key in enabling many industries and companies to prepare or to advance through the different stages of the adoption of technologies, so as to successfully position themselves in the new digital transformation scenario”. In this respect, Bou underlines that this year’s edition will be highly focused on providing “the tools and knowledge required to help them to fulfil this purpose”.
Similarly, IIC Executive Director Richard Soley emphasises the practical focus of the event, which showcases not only the latest advances in the IIoT but also in the enabling technologies that will drive the transformation of multiple industry sectors. “IoTSWC is designed for users who are looking to implement these technologies. Fellow users will present their experience at the Congress through their success stories and will share their results.”
The IoTSWC formula
The formula that has turned IoTSWC into a benchmark event for the IIoT around the world involves concentrating a commercial exhibition, testbeds and a Congress with leading international experts into a single venue over three days.
Thus, the stands area will be occupied by leading IoT suppliers represented by their worldwide headquarters, which include IT companies, software platform developers, hardware manufacturers, security firms, telecoms, service operators, industrial automation companies, and many more. This year the Barcelona event will incorporate a new feature, an area for start-up companies. Over the coming weeks a specific call will be launched to select the twenty emerging companies who will occupy this new space.
Another of the event’s focuses of interest will once again be the testbeds, where live demonstrations of the ten best applications of the IIoT, selected by a committee of experts, will be displayed. Unlike previous editions of the fair, projects that are not necessarily linked to the exhibiting companies can be submitted this year. The search for success stories over the past year in which the implementation of IoT, artificial intelligence and blockchain has meant a true revolution is thus extended.
The Congress will bring together the world’s finest experts in disruptive technologies and representatives of industry to analyse the impact of IoT solutions on different environments and their convergence with other technologies as well as to define short-term trends. In 2019 the thematic pillars covered by the sessions will include connected transport, manufacturing, health, energy, construction and infrastructures, logistics, other industry sectors, blockchain and artificial intelligence, the latter two with their own forums, just like last year. Specifically, Blockchain Solutions World and the Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Systems Forum.
In addition, IoTSWC will acknowledge the most innovative and impacting projects developed throughout the year by means of the IOT Solutions Awards, open to companies and entities from all over the world Nominations for the awards can be sent between March and July.
There were 341 exhibitors and 16,250 visitors from 120 countries who attended the 2018 edition of the IoTSWC. According to the organisation’s data, 72% of the visitors have significant decision-making power at their companies, confirming the effectiveness of the event when it comes to attracting key professional profiles involved in the digital transformation of the industry. In this regard, we should also highlight that almost half the visitors come from industrial and economic sectors that use these technologies.