Nomad Digital: reflecting on InnoTrans 2022

Joanna Leach 15 Nov 2022

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This September, the Nomad Digital team had the chance to connect in person by attending the biennial world leading transport technology trade fair InnoTrans after a four-year absence.

Below, Gerald von Pok, Regional Sales Director, and Paul Vaclik, Head of R&D and Architecture, reflect on their time at the show, outline the importance of in-person events and discuss the industry trends Nomad Digital addressed in its series of ‘short talks’.

Return to InnoTrans

We last attended InnoTrans back in 2018; the following show, which should have taken place in 2020, was cancelled due to COVID-19. It was great to be back at such a prominent global event this year.

For Nomad Digital, the three-day exhibition was an invaluable opportunity to connect with customers, partners and suppliers, whilst also enabling us to establish the latest industry updates and innovations, and ultimately take the market’s pulse.

A cross-section of Nomad’s team travelled to Berlin for the event – including Managing Director Xavier Champaud, and several Key Account Managers. Engineers and Product Managers were also in attendance, helping to demonstrate our technology and expertise whilst delivering a series of educational ‘short talks’ to attendees. Watch our highlights video here:

Connecting with the transportation industry

Connecting with the transport industry in person was refreshing. The event allowed us to meet a range of people in a relatively short space of time and hold in-person discussions over the course of three days.

It was great to be able to connect with the wider transportation industry. Indeed, InnoTrans 2022 reaffirmed the fact that Nomad Digital operates in a vibrant, relevant space – and macro factors like urbanisation, green mobility, and digital transformation reflect this.

Our parent company Alstom were also present. Nomad became a wholly owned subsidiary of Alstom in 2017, and several representatives from the leading mobility specialist were in attendance at InnoTrans.

Short talks on big industry topics

In addition to holding in-person discussions, the Nomad team also delivered a series of on-stand ‘short talks’, around focused industry topics of interest at a global exhibition with almost 3000 exhibitors.

With a running time of 10 minutes, each short, bitesize talk highlighted a different area of focus for Nomad and the industry. Topics included connectivity, passenger experience, security, operations, and maintenance.

Indeed, while Nomad is renowned for its WiFi solutions, we offer so much more than just on-board internet, which was reflected in our talks along with the breadth of our expertise to address current industry requirements. We chose current topics of interest focussing on everything from 5G to cyber-security to passenger experience and the valuable insight & efficiencies that data can bring.

We wanted to shine a light on the trends that are shaping our sector. Today, it’s about more than just getting a passenger from A to B; journeys must be safe, comfortable, and enjoyable. Nomad designs products that respond to these needs. From a safety perspective, it might be functionality that allows an Operator, in emergency mode, to start transmitting CCTV images to a data centre onboard a train. In terms of experience, meanwhile, monitoring tools can support customers, guiding them to unoccupied areas of the train. On a longer journey, passengers can even use onboard services to watch films or order a coffee to their seats.

The talks were an opportunity to discuss these developments with industry, and network with attendees on our stand.

The importance of in-person events

Connecting in this organic and informal way is really only possible at an in-person event. How else could businesses like Nomad Digital meet so many people in a relatively short space of time?

Meeting in person enables us to get a real understanding of the challenges industry faces, what customers are trying to achieve and how we can help support them.

After an eventful show, the story doesn’t end there. Our team will continue conversations, and with innovation and solution development as part of our complete connectivity solution, there’s certainly plenty to discuss.

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