Asian Utility Week 2016 takes place on 31 May to 1 June at Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld in Bangkok. It's been running for 17 years and this year takes a new form. While traditionally we have focused on issues that involve AMI and Smart Grid build out, this year we kick it up gear and go all out on the theme: Building the Digital Utility.
Our Asian market told us that while not all utilities in the region were as advanced in their digital strategies compared with those in places like Europe, Australia or the USA, they still wanted to know how the best of breed utilities used digital strategies to improve customer engagement, energy efficiency and operational excellence. So we have created an event that pulls in the best from across Asia, and mixes them with the best from the West. The expo therefore is ideal for anyone who is interested in benefiting from digital strategies which of course still includes AMI infrastructure and communication frameworks.
Another new theme this year is a fixation on engaging customers
Like the West, the deregulation process is moving slowly across Asia beginning with Japan. On 1 April this year, the 10 regulated utilities are challenged by new players in the retail space – as many as 800 new entrants! Obviously they all won't survive as stand-alone entities, but already we can see massive change coming for customer services. Much of this change flows directly from digital platforms that specialise in providing cost savings for customers.
Next off the rank is Singapore which deregulates its utility sector in 2018. Singapore Power is preparing now with the rollout of mobile apps and improved billing information. While other utilities in the region have been studying deregulation for many years without committing to it, social media and new technology is forcing their hand to also focus on improving customer service. The end result is that the customer wins with energy efficiency improvements also supporting the regions government energy sector goals.
This brings us nicely to another new focus within the event – new customers
Utilities are naturally very interested in the evolving needs of their customer groups and technology is forcing rapid change across all customer categories. While we have always focused on retail customers, two new groups make an appearance this year, both of which represent a new profit opportunity for utilities.
The first group are Smart City-Intelligent Building planners. IOT technology combined with cloud analytics is providing very real benefits for Smart City architects. Asia has booming populations and sprawling cities. While some regions are already advanced in their Smart City developments, others are now building blueprints and trialling Smart City projects for future rollouts.
The second new customer group we look at are those who benefit from micro-grids, rooftop solar and storage technology. This includes both SME and C&I customers – but also communities such as universities, mines and off-grid villages. While rooftop solar is generally not as popular in Asia as compared with the West, this seems likely to change as PV and storage prices drop and more Smart City programs are rolled out.
These new business development categories, means Asian Utility Week is growing!
Last year we attracted 2000 participants. This year we are targeting over 2500 with generous Utility Partnerships boosting utility attendance and strong support from industry associations across the key utility regions and major vendor groups driving more visitors to our pavilions.
Boosting interest in our 2016 program are our new smart energy-smart city startup stream and our Asian Utility Innovators Awards 2016 that profiles successful utility-vendor partnerships.
Nomination forms are now available on our website. Now that utilities are much more focused on their customers, they see more value from getting industry recognition for excellence in service delivery. The Awards is open to both delegates and visitors to the expo and is offered at-cost to ensure a strong turnout. We have utilities from across Europe and the US who are keen to meet local startup and utility management for possible investment opportunities. Don't miss out! Deadline for submission: 22 April 2016
We have created a great platform for doing digital deals. Get on board!
If you have an interest in doing digital related business in the booming Asian utility market, Asian Utility Week 2016 is your ideal platform. We pull in the key players from the regional utilities and offer excellent networking platforms and meeting facilities to help you close the deals.
We feature 150+ exhibitors with the conference rooms, delegate networking and Awards Dinner situated on the heart of the expo floor. We do everything in our power to ensure that our exhibitors get strong promotion including offering complementary technical zone presentations and a generous profile within our exhibitor show guide.
Contact us today for more information on Asian Utility Week 2016.
Looking forward to meeting you in Bangkok!
Event dates and location:
Conference & Exhibition: 31 May-1 June 2016
Location: Centara Grand & Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand
Event website: http://www.asian-utility-week.com/