OneCommunity, a nonprofit organization committed to expanding high-speed broadband access in Northeast Ohio and using technology to foster an innovation hub here, organized the Cleveland [R]IoT Regional Summit back in April. The turnout was even better than organizers expected.

“Three hundred people came to the summit in April – far larger than we were anticipating,” says Catherine Bules, OneCommunity project manager. “It was all the industry and technology crew to finance and legal people. It was a diverse group of people and very powerful.”

[R]IoT, or “Recognizing the Internet of Things,” is an effort to capitalize on the future of IoT technologies. “Imagine the Internet hasn’t been born yet,” says OneCommunity CEO Lev Gonick. “Back in 1993 people were talking about the World Wide Web and would get scoffed at. The IoT ecosystem will dwarf the Internet today as we know it. There’s a huge financial piece -- $10 trillion over the next decade – and Northeast Ohio is hugely positioned to be a player.”

According to Wikipedia, "The Internet of Things allows objects to be sensed and controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct integration between the physical world and computer-based systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit."

One example would be using your smartphone to adjust your home's temperature or close your garage door; however, that just scratches the surface of possibilities.

Based on the April event’s success and feedback from attendees, OneCommunity decided to hold another [R]IoT – this time a happy hour at Music Box Supper Club on Tuesday, July 14th – to delve deeper into the IoT possibilities.  

Gonick says IoT is akin to the Industrial Revolution meeting the Internet Revolution. “It propels us into a global leadership role with the full breadth of what Northeast Ohio can do,” he says.

The happy hour will have demonstrations and plenty of networking. Companies already signed up to show off their products and solutions include iRx Reminder, which makes it easier to track whether patients are taking their medications, and Everykey, one wristband for all the user’s keys and passwords. Inventors have until tomorrow, Wednesday, July 8, to apply to demonstrate.

Bules stresses that the [R]IoT happy hour is more of a networking event than an educational one. “Basically, it’s a science fair with alcohol,” she jokes. Registration is encouraged. Tickets are $5 to cover food and drinks. The event runs from 4 pm to 7 pm.