Philips has signed up as a ‘Connected Lighting Partner’ for the 2015 edition of the Arab Future Cities Summit, which will take place next month in Dubai, UAE.

Held under the patronage of the Dubai Municipality, the summit will take place from November 3 to 5 at Sofitel The Palm Resort & Spa.

Produced by global conference organizers, Expotrade, the summit will convene senior policy makers from within the government; several thought leaders from across the globe to share their ideas and strategies that drive Dubai’s Smart City vision.

According to an industry report, it is estimated that by 2050, 66 per cent of the world’s population is expected to be residing in urban areas. Given the wave of urban growth, the concept of sustainable smart cities has gained momentum. An integral part of the smart city infrastructure is connected lighting, that enables urban spaces to be more efficient, sustainable and makes it more livable for its citizens.

Brad Hariharan, regional director, Expotrade Middle East, said, “We are thrilled to announce Philips has joined the growing list of sponsors for the Arab Future Cities Summit as Connected Lighting Partner. Philips has been a pioneer in introducing cutting-edge innovative products & services that has transformed the lighting industry globally. The future of lighting has changed; they have proved that lighting is no longer just a matter of illumination.”

Philips is working with cities around the world to transform the lighting infrastructure, in order to deliver more energy efficient, and more sustainable lighting in their cities. In fact, earlier this year, in the Middle East, the company was awarded a lighting refurbishment project by Etihad-ESCO to retrofit several power plants owned by the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) to LED lighting.

The importance of connected lighting will be discussed by Rami Hajjar, general manager, Philips Lighting Middle East who will be speaking at the summit on the topic ‘Philips connected lighting: Value beyond illumination’.

The presentation will emphasize Philips connected lighting vision as well as current connected lighting systems available in the region. Connected lighting systems from Philips connect people to each other, to the spaces they work and live in, and to the information and services they need in a particular location.

Philips connected lighting systems are available for home and outdoor applications, integrate seamlessly with other systems and share information on occupancy, activity patterns, and daylight levels.

“Philips Lighting is committed to deliver innovative lighting solutions to help meet the region’s vision of building sustainable and livable cities. By taking lighting beyond illumination, Philips connected lighting allows cities and businesses to enhance and enable the spaces they manage, to offer greater comfort, personalization, safety, productivity and efficiency to the people that use those spaces,” said Hajjar.

“An example is CityTouch, our latest innovative remote lighting management system that allows cities to manage and control their lighting environment in real time with just simple click, while also monitor their energy consumption. With greater insights and control on lighting, cities can save up to 70 per cent on their lighting energy consumption. With Philips connected lighting systems, we take lighting beyond illumination and show how our solutions contribute to building a sustainable future for cities in the Middle East.”

The summit that supports the theme of Smart Solutions for Sustainable Cities will witness over 400 senior executives, smart city solution providers, city and government officials coming together to discuss the technologies associated with smart cities. – TradeArabia News Service