CTIA’s Super Mobility 2015, which begins this week in Las Vegas, will have something for health-care professionals, enterprise IT professionals, and Fortune 500 CEOs and CMOs, but the retail industry will continue to account for the largest single contingent of attendees.
The three-day event, which runs from Sept. 9-11, is expected to attract about 30,000 attendees, about 30 percent of whom will be retailers and companies selling to them, said Robert Mesirow, CTIA VP and show director. They’ll be able to browse through an expanded Retail Zone where 317 out of a total 1,100 exhibitors will show products ranging from smartphone-controlled LED lights to Bluetooth speakers. Retailers will be able to visit the show’s first Fitness Command Center to see the latest in wearables and mobile-fitness products, and they’ll soak in the insights delivered during a variety of retail-oriented seminars.
Mobile video will also be a major topic at the show, where video is the subject of a keynote session that includes Verizon executive VP Marni Walden and Dream- Works CEO/director Jeffrey Katzenberg. Verizon is expected at the show or shortly before to unveil its longawaited over-the-top mobile-video service, which will use LTE-Broadcast technology to conserve bandwidth.
Content will also the topic of a keynote address by Bob Pittman, chairman/CEO of iHeartMedia.
For a look at the Internet of Things, one seminar will focus on how retailers and vendors must change to win IoT business. Led by consultant and former retailer Dave Sprosty, the seminar will feature Kris Bowring, Lowe’s director of business and channel development; Matthew Deatrick, who is involved with Verizon’s connected-device businessdevelopment efforts; and Craig Crandall, Costco Wholesale’s innovations manager.
Other seminars of interest to retailers include several sessions on wireless repair along with a Tesscosponsored seminar on adapting a retail business to capitalize on the latest mobile trends in edge devices, fitness, the connected home, and payment technology. The NPD Group is sponsoring a seminar on strategies to boost bundled sales, and Groupon is running an event on driving foot traffic.
For retailers interested in winning IoT business, CTIA stepped up its focus on wearables and fitness devices, in large part by planning its first Fitness Command Center, which is sponsored by fitness company Under Armour. Other participants are Withings, MOi Cycle, Drishti Beats Connected Yoga, DotFit, Matrix Fitness, Indie Health, Canyon Ranch, Sales Force, Athos, Atlas and Polar. Celebrities putting in guest appearances in the Command Center include Mike Tyson, Terrell Davis and Barry Sanders.
In the Retail Zone, exhibitors include Otter, Maxwest, Moshi, EZ Finance, Urge, Lycamobile, Griffin, PCS Wireless, Scosche and handset supplier Plum Mobile. Other handset vendors exhibiting at the show include Infosonics, the maker of VeryKool handsets; Samsung Electronics; and Huawei.
