In September, more than 1,500 top IoT professionals from around the world will descend into Amsterdam for The Things Conference. We live in a world where every other device is becoming a connected device. As we see everything from a tiny sensor to vacuum cleaner to our car getting connected, there is also a need for a protocol that makes it possible.
The Things Conference acts as an anchor for LoRaWAN®, the Low Power, Wide Area (LPWA) networking protocol designed to wirelessly connect battery operated devices to the internet. The LoRaWAN specification also enables key Internet of Things (IoT) requirements such as bi-directional communication, end-to-end security, mobility, and localisation services.
Every industry has its own must attend event. If Mobile World Congress is a must attend for telecommunications and networking professionals then The Things Conference is a must attend for an IoT professional. The Thing Conference wants to chart the path ahead for the connected devices industry and its success seems plausible.
A conference unlike any other
The Things Conference shows the stark reality of the world that we live in right now. While COVID-19 pandemic does not affect us like the way it did in 2020, the pandemic is not in the rearview mirror just yet.
The Things Conference is happening both in Amsterdam as well as online. Wienke Giezeman, CEO of The Things Industries, says the physical event is being “embraced with unique content planned for in-person attendees.” The physical event will also allow the LoRaWAN community to interact with partners, access hand-on workshops and interact with devices in real-time.
“The virtual part of The Things Conference will have its own unique content that is adapted to the online communication format. We understand that there are still different restrictions concerning Covid-19 in different countries, and as our audience is coming from all continents of the world, we wanted to give the opportunity to visit the conference to everyone,” adds Giezeman.
In its final stage of preparation, Giezeman says The Things Conference has reached a 120 per cent partnership milestone and 60 partners will be joining the conference. One area where The Things Conference is unlike any is its unique showcase called the “Wall of Fame.”
This physical wall showcases devices, including LoRaWAN-enabled sensors and gateways, and this year, The Things Conference will have even more device makers presentings their devices.
If that doesn’t sound interesting then Giezeman says they are planning something never done before at an event. In partnership with Microsoft, The Things Conference will showcase the largest digital twin in the world. This digital twin will cover the whole event area and its surroundings, which makes up around 4357 sq.m.
The conference visitors, both in-person and online, will be able to see data sent from sensors placed around the venue and will be able to interact through an AR app. Impressive will be an understatement to describe this experience.
Flagship event for Amsterdam’s lead as a smart city
The Things Conference is not just about LoRaWAN protocol or all the companies building connected devices on top of it. It is also very much about Amsterdam, the Dutch capital, leading the way as a smart city in Europe. Giezeman says Amsterdam is uniquely positioned as a smart city that enables citizens.
He cites an example of meetjestad.nl, where citizens are measuring microclimates and more. The smart city project is putting the power of sensory data in the hands of Dutch people. Amsterdam is already the largest startup ecosystem in the European Union and at The Things Conference, attendees will see how technology is used by SME companies.
“The conference will showcase technology used by SMEs for different operational efficiency applications like measuring temperature of food to enable compliance,” says Giezeman.
The physical event will take place on 22 and 23 September at Kromhouthal in Amsterdam and the event ticket gives attendees access to the live conference, workshops, keynotes, and curated networking. The Things Conference also marks its fifth anniversary this year.
“We have prepared a lot of exciting content for anyone who would like to scale with IoT,” says Giezeman. “This edition will focus on finding all the right tools to bring a digital transformation strategy to your boss on Monday after the event. You will see the real examples of how companies leverage LoRaWAN for their mass-scale deployments, find and get the right hardware based on your needs.
Wall of Fame and Digital Twin
At The Things Conference this year, Giezeman says the Wall of Fame will showcase devices and gateways from over 100 device makers. With 1,500 people expected to attend the event in-person, the attendees will have a chance to get their hands on different IoT hardware, interact and even see all the information about the device through a dedicated QR code.
“The Wall of Fame is a perfect place to find the right sensor for your needs,” Giezeman explains.
However, the bigger draw could be the digital twin that we mentioned earlier. Tech companies have been building digital twins as a way to augment the real world environment in a digital world. Digital Twins help us to make informed decisions by interacting with and validating the product before the next developer or customer journey stage.
By putting up the largest digital twin in the world around the conference venue and its surrounding, The Things Conference is making a statement. The digital twin will exchange real-time data back and forth with the buildings they are physically connected to.
Giezeman adds, “The Things Stack (our main product – LoRaWAN Network Server) integrates directly with Microsoft’s Azure Digital Twin platform and allows you to connect and visualise data as either a 2D or 3D experience.”
The 3D visualisation of data from hundreds of sensors placed at the event will be the “most successful and informative way to showcase digital twins through the AR.” The conference visitors will be able to see live data transmitted from hundreds of sensors around the conference venue, interact with it through the app, and learn a lot about devices this way.
A connected future
With the arrival of 5G, there is now a growing intent to connect anything and everything. However, Giezeman finds this notion of “wanting to connect everything in the world” to be cringy. He finds more sense in connecting things and sensors either driven by value or business use case.
The Things Conference is primarily meant to bring the LoRaWAN community together and envision the future of the protocol. However, it is also about nurturing the philosophy that makes the LoRa and LoRaWAN ecosystem. Giezeman sees “ever increasing maturity” as the important thing for a sensible, responsible connected future.
With LoRaWAN, it is possible to build such an ecosystem by building the entire solution yourself. The protocol is so user friendly that a device bought 7 years ago will work on a gateway bought today and vice versa. Giezeman says LoRa and LoRaWAN are remarkable because all the developments are rooted in use cases and not in core technology.
When asked about use cases, he says there are many ESG related use cases emerging. “Actually almost all use cases are around business process efficiency. And 90 per cent of the time that directly relates to less resource consumption and less carbon emissions. So the future of LoRa is efficiency and sustainability,” says Giezeman.
