IOT//EDINBURGH (MWC + IoT)

We are pleased to announce that this event will be co-hosted with our friends at Mobile Monday Edinburgh (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/momoedinburgh).

Mobile World Congress (http://t.sidekickopen35.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs7fKky4VQK06F7fcngbW7fsH1M56dwm3f3kzbgH02?t=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mobileworldcongress.com%2F&si=5317384653242368&pi=5d3a04de-a0f2-4428-f256-09845c92724c) will take place in Barcelona from the 22nd-25th February 2016. It is the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry.

Simon, together with some of Scotland's most exciting technology companies, will be there as part of a delegation organised by Scottish Development International.

During the event he, and other members of the iotEdinburgh and MoMoEdinburgh community in attendance, will gather market intelligence, and identify industry trends that are relevant to the Internet of Things.

The reason why this event is so important, in the context of the Internet of Things, is that the smartphone has become an integral part of the IoT ecosystem. In fact it is rapidly becoming the centre of it; a hub for all things connected. Everything we touch from televisions, wearables, and appcessories such as smart umbrellas, smart wallets, and smart luggage to cars and domestic appliances can be controlled via an app on a smartphone.

As a society we have become so reliant on our phones that a condition called "Nomophobia (http://t.sidekickopen35.com/e1t/c/5/f18dQhb0S7lC8dDMPbW2n0x6l2B9nMJW7t5XZs7fKky4VQK06F7fcngbW7fsH1M56dwm3f3kzbgH02?t=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FNomophobia&si=5317384653242368&pi=5d3a04de-a0f2-4428-f256-09845c92724c)" actually exists, where people experience a feeling of anxiety when out of mobile contact. Furthermore, repeated surveys show that the majority of people would prefer to lose their keys or wallet over their phone.

This is perfectly understandable because we now live in a world where we use our phones for almost everything from proving our identity, to gaining access to our homes, vehicles and even public transport. Pretty soon our phones will replace all kinds of physical objects like passports, credit cards, cash, keys, and tickets.

Almost every industry will be forced to reinvented itself or become "Uberized". This is because consumers are increasingly growing accustomed to "on-demand" services; everything from shopping, shipping and dating will be delivered, almost instantaneously, simply with the click of an app. For now the smartphone is the king of connectedness, but for how much longer will it reign supreme?

In future, we will be surrounded by "smart objects", live in "smart cities", and sensors will be embedded within our clothes, cars, and homes. Will this render the smartphone redundant, or will the phone remain at the centre of our connected universe?

We'll invite several speakers to talk about current and future trends in the mobile sector, and as usual, we'll have a panel-style discussion and Q&A at the end.

18:00 REGISTRATION

18.15 - 18:20 WELCOME

Our host, and panel moderator for the evening will be Emma MacLean (WEB3//IOT).

18:20 - 18:40 Simon Montford (WEB3//IOT (http://www.web3iot.com))

Simon will be attending MWC as a member of the SDI delegation. He will be live broadcasting via Periscope during the event and will return in person, to speak about recent developments in the area of consumer IoT, specifically wearables, smarthome devices, and drones.

18:40 - 19:00 Geoff Ballinger (System Architect at deltaDNA (https://deltadna.com/) / MoMoEdinburgh (https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/momoedinburgh))

Geoff is a seasoned veteran when it comes to attending MWC - this will be his 12th consecutive visit! He will talk about what stood out as most interesting and different, and he will have plenty of pictures to share. The scope of his presentation will not just cover the IoT, but the entire mobile eco-system.

19:00 - 19:20 Speaker (TBC)

19.20 - 19.40 Discussion & Q&A

19.40 - 21.00 NETWORKING & DRINKS

Topics: Mobile World Congress, MWC, Smartphone Innovation, 5G, Security, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Wearables, Embeddables, Smart City, Big Data, OLED, Flexible display, Battery tech, Tablets, LPWAN, NFC, Virtual Currency, Sharing Economy, Digital Commerce, Digital ID, Mobile Advertising, Mobile Commerce, LTE-Advanced, A.I, Mobile Banking, Smart Materials, On-demand Economy.