The future of smart cities and light

Smart lighting makes it possible to grow strawberries in greenhouses in the desert, or even on Mars. Lighting systems are becoming hyper-intelligent: they adapt to people's needs and expectations, follow the rhythm of the day and switch on and off when needed.

For the first time since COVID, a large group of Signify distributors came together, at De Ark in Antwerp, to try out Signify's new products and services.

The keynote described the city of the future as a system of systems: mobility, logistics, construction, safety, energy and healthcare. According to a 2021 forecast by Frost & Sullivan, around 200 billion devices will be connected to each other by 2030, lighting included. With that, lighting gets a new digital business model.

The capacity of the dealer network to innovate was also on the agenda. 3D printing and ready-made city-in-a-box services from the cloud are developments distributors need to prepare for. They need to change faster, with new skills, ecosystems and new leadership, and by working with young people in their own organisation (reverse mentoring).