IoT (and more) on Show in Asia in 2018

The IoT wave of the last few years has clearly not gone unnoticed by conference and exhibition organizers, and that should not be too surprising, given the plethora of new products, new companies, new thoughts on what this is all about, and a newly curious audience eager (or required) to understand what this is indeed all about. Even so, the growth in the number of IoT events is quite remarkable. Here in Singapore we went from having none in 2013, one in 2014, and then for last year, I can count at least 10 presenter/panellist/delegate lanyards hanging on my office wall.

While IoT may still be integral in the title of most of these events, the content is increasingly extending out from just the Internet of Things to encompass other technologies and topics associated with digital transformation, such as artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, blockchain, cybersecurity, and robotics.

With its high-quality infrastructure, good transport links, and the government’s Smart Nation drive, Singapore continues to be the favoured destination in Asia for IoT conferences and exhibitions. So let’s see what we can look forward to in 2018: 

IEEE World Forum on Internet of Things: February 5-8, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

The fourth edition of the WF-IoT annual conference returns to Asia after stints in the Italy and the US following the inaugural event in South Korea in 2015. The Technical Program features contributions from the academic and research community on the latest IoT advances, while a set of Vertical and Topical Area tracks target industry and the public sector. Those tracks include Industrial IoT, Logistics, Smart Cities, Security & Privacy, Blockchains, and Artificial Intelligence. Confirmed speakers include Bill Ruh (GE Digital), Chris O’Conner (IBM Watson), Maciej Kranz (Cisco Systems), and Prateep Misra (TCS).

Asia IoT Business Platform: February 26-27, Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, Singapore

Singapore is one of several locations in Southeast Asia for Asia IoT Business Platform events, with others taking place in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Thailand. This year promises a showcase of enterprise digital transformation efforts through use cases of IoT deployments in the region. 

IoT Asia 2018: March 21-22, Singapore Expo:

This was the one that started it all in 2014, when it truly was the only IoT show in town. It continues to get get good government support, with a high-profile minister giving the keynote each year, and usually has a strong exhibition component. The organizers have experimented with various formats for the conference segment, and this year the focus is on just two verticals: Industrial IoT and Smart Cities. IoT Asia 2018 sponsors and exhibitors include Sigfox, Tata Communications, Advantech, Ripples, and TCAM Technology. 

NXTAsia: June 26-28, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

A first-time show that forms part of ConnecTechAsia, a new umbrella event that also encompasses the long-running CommunicAsia ICT-themed show. NXTAsia promises to be showcase for specialised solutions that can help enterprises in their digital transformation journey, with technology coverage encompassing big data analytics, IoT, cybersecurity, cloud computing, sensors, and virtual reality.

Industry of Things World Asia: July 15-17, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

The most relevant single event for Industrial IoT aficionados, Industry of Things World Asia returns to Singapore after its inaugural outing in 2017. Last year saw suitably industrially themed presentations from Airbus, Belden, Emerson Automation Solutions, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, OPC Foundation, Rolls Royce, and Shell, among others. Other Industry of Things World events take place in the US and Germany this year.

IoT World Asia: September 18-20, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Also in Singapore for the second time is the rather similar sounding Internet of Things World Asia, a constituent show of TechXLR8 Asia, which also encompasses 5G Asia, AI Summit Singapore, Network Virtualization & SDN, and Project Kairos Asia. Presenters at IoT World Asia in 2017 included Bosch Software Innovations, Cisco Systems, DHL, and GE Digital. Like Industry of Things World Asia, IoT World Asia has companion events elsewhere, including “the world's biggest IoT event”, Internet of Things World, in Santa Clara. 

Following the inaugural edition of IoT World Asia in 2017, the event returns to Singapore this September. 

Smart IoT Singapore: October 10-11, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

While most IoT events in Singapore operate on the model of paid conference, free exhibition, Smart IoT Singapore is all free. It is co-located with Cloud Expo Asia, which has rapidly become one of the largest business IT shows in the country. While the free model makes for rather basic (and very packed) conference rooms and none of the fancy food you get as a paid delegate, it does provide a good opportunity for those usually unable to attend a paid conference to learn about IoT. Presentations in 2017 came from companies including ABB, Bosch, Huawei, Oracle, and Wipro.

Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific: October 16-18, Singapore Expo

Last but definitely not least, Hannover comes to Singapore this October in the form of the inaugural Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific, which is billed as “the region’s premier Industry 4.0 event”. The launch follows an agreement between Deutsche Messe, organizer of Hannover Fair, and the Singapore government to holds Industrial Transformation Asia Pacific for three years in Singapore. With themes such as Additive Manufacturing, Digital Factory, Industrial Transformation, and Smart Logistics, visitors have the opportunity to learn how Industry 4.0 processes, technologies and adopting new business models can enable them to remain competitive in a rapidly changing industrial landscape. The first event is expected to host expected to host around 150 exhibiting companies, 5,000 visitors, as well as 25 speakers and 500 participants at the conference.

ARC plans to be at most if not all of these events, so for those of you located in this part of the world or perhaps travelling from overseas to participate in one of the shows, I look forward to seeing you there.