We at AUTO Connected Car News find it interesting to see how automotive connected car trade shows change over the years in popularity with our readers. This year, we see that our readers prefer an event that is specifically geared for those in-the-know in the automotive industry. We have had two newcomers this year who fared well. So what is the Best Connected Car Tech Trade Show, Event, Symposium or Expo?
The new trend in the business is offer OEMs, automakers and industry professionals free entry into the exhibits and in some cases the seminars.
IQPC Embedded Chips Detroit received respectable votes for being geared for programmers or developers and was very technical. Some of our readers attended to learn coding and security best practices.
3rd Place Future Connected Cars USA
The next event that gained traction is Future Connected Cars USA (Informa), which was co-located with the Internet of Things World in Santa Clara. They were the first event to open the doors for free for automakers. Future Connected Cars USA, presented by Informa came in third place.The show had over 600 attendees and over 50 exhibitors as well as over 100 speakers.
Connected Cars & Autonomous Vehicles is part of TechXLR8, a showcase of leading technology events. The event offers networking opportunities with C-level execs, engineers, developers, enterprises and star-ups from across the entire connected technology ecosystem. This year they are offering free expo passes to all who register in advance. The name of the event has been changed to Connected and Autonomous Vehicles for 2017. Connected Cars USA is owned by Informa. Informa recently bought Penton Media that owns the winning event.
2nd Place AutoMobility LA
AutoMobility LA changed the way it registered guests also. They offered free entrance to exhibits for pre-registeration and a $100 for a standard pass for members of companies that are startups, analysts, marketing professionals, analysts, automotive suppliers and analysts.
AutoMobility LA, the merger of Connected Car Expo and LA Auto Show Trade Days, was held at Los Angeles Convention Center’s campus, at the new Technology Pavilion tent, for the conference, exhibits and the Roadshow Stage. The “All-Access Pass” gave access to seminars by industry insiders about automakers, tech companies and disruptors including BMW ReachNow, Hyundai, Ridecell, Local Motors, whiteCryption, Intel, Continental and tech startups.
In the past when AutoMobility LA was the Connected Car Expo, conferences were held in the Los Angeles Convention Center or at a nearby hotel. They had networking lunches where attendees could talk to their peers. This year, because it was held in a tent with construction going on across the street, it was hard to hear the speakers and concentrate. There was no networking lunch. The first year we attended the seminars in conference rooms were in-depth and we had great conversations during the networking luncheons. Over time, the show has cut down the information into smaller 5-10 minutes of information which is good for those who are not inside the business but can be boring for industry insiders. Last year, we heard a programmer of telematics systems comment, “I know this already.” The LA Auto Show’s Press and Trade Days draw more than 18,000 auto industry decision makers and influencers including 4,400 media from more than 58 countries. We estimate several hundred to a thousand who attended the seminars.
However, Connected Car Expo was honored as winning the very first AUTO Connected Car News’ Tech CARS Award for Best Trade Show.
Winner TU-Automotive Detroit
TU-Automotive Detroit is the winner of the Tech CARS Award for Best Connected Car Tech Trade Show, Event, Symposium or Expo. The show draws a big crowd of professionals and is centrally located in Detroit in June. The event offers over 150 speakers, 140 booths and 3000 attendees. It claims it’s the world’s biggest conference and exhibition dedicated to connected cars and autonomous vehicles.
Gareth Ragg, managing director, TU-Automotive, said in response to winning the award, ‘We are delighted to win this award. The team works incredibly hard every year to ensure that the event delivers the best possible value for our community, and to receive this recognition directly from them is fantastic. It really means a lot to us.”
The team at TU-Automotive, noted that TU-Detroit (Formerly Telematics Update Detroit) has been in existence since the inception of the connected car. For 17 years it’s been the place where many of the key partnerships that have come to define the space first begun. In the process, the industry has grown from a niche technology into the key enabler of the future of the entire auto industry as it shifts towards mobility and automated vehicles.
“In recent years it’s also been great to watch all the working groups, supplier meetings and even parties that have sprung up around the event; really making it a whole week that the industry marks in its diary,” Ragg said and notes that 2017 is shaping up to be our biggest and best TU-Automotive Detroit yet. Senior execs from GM, BMW, VW, Bosch, Lyft and Car2Go are already confirmed to speak to analyze the latest trends in connected mobility, including user experience, A.I., smart cities, cybersecurity, wireless infrastructure, ADAS and autonomous tech.
“At over 200,000 sq ft the exhibition floor will showcase more innovative companies and start-ups than ever before. Plus a whole set of new features, including self-driving vehicle demos, topic-led roundtables and networking formats. We hope you can join us on June 7-8,” concluded Ragg. As an added incentive TU-Automotive Detroit is offering a $200 discount code for AUTO Connected Car News’ Readers using the discount code TUDACCN.
This year at TU-Automotive Detroit, automakers and government organizations can attend for free. New features include speed networking, a women’s breakfast, round tables and expo pitches.
Speakers for 2017 include:
• Dieter May, Senior Vice President Digital Business Models, BMW.
• Burkhard Huhnke, Senior Vice President, E-Mobility, Volkswagen of America.
• Jeffrey Massimilla, Chief Product Cybersecurity Officer, General Motors.
• Kirk Steudle, Director, Michigan DoT.
• Mircea Gradu, Executive Director, Engineering and Quality, Hyundai Motor America.
• Robert Grant, Director of Government Relations, Lyft.
• Ken Stewart, Chief Business & Technology Officer, Karma Automotive.
• Paul DeLong, CEO, car2go N.A..
• James Fish, Chief Innovation Officer, Bosch.
The Topics Defining the Debate in 2017:
- Pivot from Metal to Mobility.
- Test Track or Highway?
- From tech development (perception & AI) to overcoming societal barriers (regulation & trust).
- Cybersecurity Never Sleeps
- Next-Gen Wireless Infrastructure.
- Build the Smart Urban Ecosystem.
Here are AUTO Connected Car News’ Tech CAR winners so far:
- Best Telematics, Mainstream Ev and Automotive Chipmaker.
- Best Connected Technology – Overall, ADAS and Autonomous.
- Best Automotive Repair App or Website.
- Best Analyst or Connected Car Celebrity
- Best Luxury EV, Hybrid or Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle.
- Best Connected Car Trade Show.
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