Martina Pizzinato, Regional Business Development Manager for Europe, attended Smart City Expo World Congress 2019 to showcase our solutions for smart city industries. We sat down with Martina to hear more about her experience.
Could you give me a brief overview about Smart City Expo World Congress?
Smart City Expo World Congress is one of the biggest exhibitions for smart city projects and solutions. It’s the biggest event of its kind in Europe, and one of the biggest smart city events in the world. There are countless visitors and exhibitors who come from all over the world. Among these exhibitors, there are companies like Ecube Labs that are presenting smart solutions and cities that are explaining how they are transforming to be more smart.
Why did Ecube Labs choose to be an exhibitor and what were we hoping to achieve?
Because we provide solutions for smart cities, it made sense for us to participate and build connections with people from other countries who are interested in our solutions. One of our business verticals is smart cities, which involves introducing cities to smart solutions that will increase efficiency and savings. I ended up talking to around 200 people over the 3 days. I talked to municipalities from India, Norway, Greece, and even private companies who are in the telecommunication sector. It was a mixture of actors coming from all parts of the world with different backgrounds.
Having talked to so many different individuals who worked in various sectors related to the development of smart cities, what were some cool takeaways/learning points?
First off, one should never wear high heels at a fair. I do not recommend doing that at all.
On a more serious note, I realized that even though I’m speaking the same language (English) with everyone, the way that I talk to and behave with them will vary. This switch doesn’t just occur when talking to people who come from very culturally different backgrounds like Europe and India. It happens even when I’m talking to people who come from different European countries. For example, the way you talk to people from Spain is different to how you would speak with someone from Norway. Some people were more direct while others may have been more open and energetic. This was a learning point for me because when I’m approaching clients in the future, I know how to effectively pitch our products and I will be able to predict their responses.
Moreover, when you talk to people about your products, they will often ask questions that will give you more insights into their market. A prospect from Norway said they have a good LoRa system which is really good for us because we started to use LoRa since last year. You learn little things that you don’t notice at first. When you look back at it later, you will understand how these little things all add up to be useful knowledge.
What is your understanding of the transition to smarter cities? Where do you see Ecube Labs positioned within this movement?
I personally think that municipalities understand the need to become smart and they don’t want to fall behind. If one city implements smart solutions successfully, another city will follow that lead. Obviously it’s not always like that but there is a trend toward technologically advanced and eco-friendly cities. This movement is going to grow and it’s not going to stop.
Let’s think about technology. It is a work in progress. There’s always new things coming out and our lives are getting more influenced by technology. We surround ourselves and become dependent on technology and the same concept can be applied to municipalities. Furthermore, I believe that one of the main issues we have right now in the entire world is massive waste production. The problem with waste is that as long as people exist, waste will also exist.
When Ecube Labs produces smart solutions for the waste industry, we’re combining two things together: we’re addressing the waste production problem while following the direction of the technologically intertwined world. Our business focuses a lot on the future and I think we will continue to develop products for the waste industry that no one has thought of before. If we step back and think about this smart city movement, Ecube Labs is situated in the center. Our products are helping cities manage their waste, which addresses larger issues in society like pollution and global warming. I think the development and direction of Ecube Labs will parallel the movement toward smart cities and the sustainable future we are all pursuing.
Any closing remarks?
It’s important for us to follow the trend and push for cities to invest in smart solutions. Smart City Expo World Congress allowed me to see and understand the different realities of these cities. Now I know how to tackle the different needs of clients who come and look for us.