Elma Kurtalj

LONMARK International is pleased to announce that more than 130 people attended the LONCOM LONMARK Community event in Frankfurt, Germany, on November 11, 2009.

LONCOM, a LONMARK community event hosted by LONMARK International and LONMARK Germany and organized by TEMA, AG, was a one-day conference highlighting LONWORKS technology-based solutions as a key driver in today's building construction market as well as other relevant markets such as metering, outdoor lighting, traffic control systems, energy management systems, and more. The event was supported and sponsored by 18 vendors who displayed their latest product offerings, services, and technologies.

New and existing users of the LONWORKS technology shared their stories, their experiences, and their continued enthusiasm for the success and long-term viability of the technology. "It was a great event where people came to share in the enthusiasm and excitement of their latest solutions and successes" exclaimed Ron Bernstein, Executive Director of LONMARK International. "Seeing so many long-time supporters and friends is always wonderful, but also seeing so many new faces demonstrates an event such as this is not only important but necessary. People attend events like this to learn from their peers, and it is part of our responsibility and commitment to help create these forums".

Plans are already underway to develop future similar events in other parts of the world. When asked during the closing session if the participants would like another event in the region next year the answers were overwhelmingly positive. 

A Focus on Education
The conference was split into four tracks:

• Energy Efficiency and Room Automation
• Technology Trends and Outlook
• Total Facility Control
• Street Lighting and Smart Metering

The presenters shared their experiences, their successful projects, new technologies and solutions, and forward-thinking approaches to solving real world applications. The selection of speakers and topics proved that innovation is continuing at a rapid rate, and in order to stay on top of technology it is extremely important to learn from others and to network and share ideas.

A Member Support and Meeting Place
In conjunction with the community event, a variety of meetings were held in support of the members of LONMARK International and the various affiliate members, committees, and task groups.

The LONMARK European Affiliate Chairmen met on November 10 to discuss pan-European topics and work towards enhancing member benefits, educational programs, and European norms and standards. Ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiencies while offering new programs was high on the list of topics discussed.

LONMARK International "Best of the Year" Awards ceremony was also held on November 10. The annual awards program recognizes the best new innovations, solutions, initiatives, and visionaries among members of LONMARK International. The annual General Meeting was held directly following the awards ceremony.

LONMARK International Board of Directors held their meeting on Thursday, November 12, with members attending in person or by phone.The board members discussed a variety of topics and worked towards setting the priorities and direction for LONMARK International for the coming year.

Also on November 12, LONMARK International Task Group meetings were held where new profiles were discussed and work continued on a variety of technical initiatives and programs. A new Outdoor Luminaire Profile has been ratified and formally added to the LONMARK International Guidelines.

The co-location of events and meetings surrounding the LONCOM LONMARK International event proved to be very successful for all. As a result of the event, new initiatives, projects, and efforts are underway.

The presentations are available for download at www.loncom.eu as they become available from the presenters.