Each year, we attend a wide variety of trade shows for many different vertical industries. These shows present several opportunities: we get to go talk about ourselves a little bit, we get to see what other companies and thought leaders are doing, and we get to talk with some very interesting folks who have varying perspectives on the industry, the trends and the technologies that drive growth. This year, at DistribuTECH 2016 in Orlando, Fla., we wanted to jot down some brief, daily thoughts on some of the things that we saw both around our booth and at the show in general.
Record number of attendees!
We were pretty excited to hear that there were a record number of attendees at this year’s show. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the utilities and energy industries. Lots of changes, some really great and innovative new technology, and a bevy of thoughtful people makes for a good trade show!
Exhibit hall opens at 10am. Did you hear we have a record number of exhibitors this year! #Wow #Dtech2016 pic.twitter.com/rc5WNQt0Ln
— DISTRIBUTECH International (@DISTRIBUTECH) February 10, 2016
Wearables?! Where are we, CES?
No! Wearables are not just for the consumer-driven recreational technology market. Wearable technology has the chance to change the way our boots on the ground and in the field work. The adage about working ‘smarter, not harder’ certainly applies to some of the companies developing wearable technology for the industrial sector.
https://twitter.com/CiscoUtilities/status/697163151477833729
Great speakers abound!
With a huge portion of the journalism industry in shambles, publications like PowerGrid International (one of several from PennWell) really stand out for its consistently solid and informative material. It’s always great to see the ‘Ink-Stained Wretches’ get their due, and Teresa Hansen, editor in chief of PowerGrid International and Electric Light & Power, gave an excellent keynote on the first day.
PowerGrid Mags chief editor, @HansenTeresa1 giving the opening intros at #DTECH2016 keynote. It's underway! pic.twitter.com/fRf4WWzdXC
— POWERGRID International (@powergridintl) February 9, 2016
Hey, look at us!
It’s always a little uncomfortable talking about yourself, but we are incredibly excited about the future at FreeWave, and many of the people we talked with who came through our booth – attendees, media, analysts, customers, etc. – were excited as well, namely about our new WavePro WP201 wireless shorthaul Wi-Fi solution. There are some features that we’re especially proud of, including the high-speed Voice, Video, Data and Sensor Data (VVDS) transmission capabilities, the self-healing one-mile industrial Wi-Fi hotspot and the ability to achieve maximum throughput.
We’re excited for day 2 – keep an eye out for us!