DALLAS, TX--(Marketwired - Oct 19, 2016) - Leading IoT research firm Parks Associates will host the 11th-annual CONNECTIONS™ Europe: Smart Home, IoT, and the Connected Consumer, 2-3 November at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky in Amsterdam. The conference will address value propositions for connected home solutions, including use cases to increase consumer awareness of smart home and IoT products and services.

"Although consumer awareness of the smart home concept is lacking in the four largest Western European countries, new products are gaining traction and helping to increase awareness and adoption in this region," said Stuart Sikes, President, Parks Associates. "CONNECTIONS™ Europe will examine different use cases that will help close the gap between the U.S. and European smart home industries."

"At SmartThings, we're working to make the customer experience in the smart home as easy and intuitive as possible," said David Bailey, Vice President, Marketing Communications, SmartThings. "Voice control will increasingly become an important aspect of the smart home customer experience, and SmartThings is already working with partners to bring this new interaction model to a wider market."

CONNECTIONS™ Europe hosts over 200 industry executives in an intimate networking environment, and features keynotes by Allianz, Amazon, Nest, Panasonic, and SmartThings. David Bailey, Vice President, Marketing Communications, SmartThings, will deliver his keynote address "It's all about the Customer Experience" on 2 November at 4 p.m., after the session "Value Propositions: Accelerating Adoption of Connected Home Solutions," moderated by Tom Kerber, Director, IoT Strategy, Parks Associates. Session speakers include:

• Marco Dorjee, International Business Development, Centralite Systems
• Cees Links, General Manager Low Power Wireless, Qorvo
• Thomas Rockmann, Vice President Connected Home, Deutsche Telekom AG
• Daniel Schellhoss, Founder of ProSyst, Bosch
• Lukas Tobis, Head of Sales, Fibaro Group

The session will examine the value propositions for voice control technologies in IoT markets, including security and energy management. Speakers will discuss current consumer demands, the right marketing messages to expand interest, and how advances in interfaces, data analytics, and personalization will drive the next stage in IoT growth.

"The purchase process begins with familiarity, and less than 10% of households across most of Europe are very familiar with smart home products or services," Sikes said. "Monetizing smart home value propositions through recurring revenue becomes increasingly challenging as the value extends further away from life safety. While convenience may be a compelling reason for purchase, it is insufficient to generate recurring revenue. Monetization of convenience will require alternative business models, which we will examine during this session."

"Consumer confidence is undoubtedly affected by the lack of clarity over interoperability," said Thomas Rockmann, Vice President Connected Home, Deutsche Telekom AG.

"I am very pleased to speak at CONNECTIONS™ Europe, one of the most valuable smart home and IoT events in Europe," said Daniel Schellhoss, Founder of ProSyst, Bosch. "The IoT is about connecting things and machines. Connecting devices results in more data intelligence, and data insights and analytics give rise to new solutions and services. With its 70.6 billion euros in sales and 374,778 associates (as of 2015) Bosch is increasing competitiveness for the customers by combining IT expertise and domain competency in our IoT solutions."

"Security, comfort, and efficiency are the three main factors on the smart home market nowadays," said Lukas Tobis, Head of Sales, Fibaro Group. "People want to feel safe and comfortable, but at the same moment the devices have to also fit the interior and provide savings. This means a lot of different variables, although I strongly believe that with the right message, all of the customer needs can be addressed at the same time."

Conference sponsors include Amazon, ASSA ABLOY, Ayla Networks, Bluetooth SIG, Essence, EVRYTHNG, Icontrol Networks, MivaTek, mnubo, ROC-Connect, SoftAtHome, ULE Alliance, Z-Wave, and ZigBee Alliance.

Conference supporters include Antenna Group, Appliance Design Magazine, B2 Group, BayPay Forum, Best Web Design Agencies, bestseos.com, CableFax, Cities Today, Conference Guru, Council, CrowdReviews, FierceCable, FierceMobileIT, FierceOnlineVideo, FierceTelecom, FierceWireless, FTTH Council, HomeGrid Forum, HomePlug Alliance, HomeToys, IPSO Alliance, IT Today, Mind Commerce, oneM2M, Open Connectivity Foundation, Payment & Cards Network, PharmaVOICE, Salutem, SmartGrid Spain, Smart Insights, Telecompaper, Thread Group, topSEOS.com, and Visibility Magazine.

For more information on CONNECTIONS™ Europe, visit www.connectionseurope.com or contact sales@parksassociates.com, 972-490-1113. To schedule a meeting with an analyst or to request specific research data, contact Holly Sprague at hsprague@gmail.com, 720.987.6614.

About CONNECTIONS™ Europe
Produced by Parks Associates, the 11^th-annual CONNECTIONS™ Europe is a two-day executive conference focused on the impact of IoT on the consumer. The event explores innovative business strategies, new crossover industry partnerships, and advancements in IoT (Internet of Things) solutions that are creating more consumer engagement and business opportunities for smart home, cloud services, and connected entertainment solutions. Parks Associates industry analysts moderate all sessions, with discussion, insights, and networking with leading executives representing all IoT ecosystems. CONNECTIONS™ Europe will take place 2-3 November 2016 in Amsterdam at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. http://www.connectionseurope.com