Retail Observer

JANUARY 2017 RETAILOBSERVER.COM 57 B U I L D I N G A SMART KITCHEN COMMUNITY T H E S M A R T K I T C H E N S U M M I T , H O S T E D T H I S P A S T O C T O B E R I N S E A T T L E , W A S T H E S E C O N D A N N U A L E V E N T D E D I C A T E D T O T H E G R O W I N G S P A C E O F T H E C O N N E C T E D K I T C H E N A N D T H E F U T U R E O F F O O D . T he space is an interesting one, representing the convergence of a number of different industries, including appliance manufac- turers, kitchen and housewares brands, food and culinary experts and of course the smart home. It became even more evident to me this year that people love to see the innovation shaping the future of cooking and food up close—the previous year it was on display as people touched and talked about innovative cooking and kitchen products in the sponsor and startup areas at SODO Park all day long. It was, for this reason, we decided to kick off SKS 2016 with the Startup Showcase, where people packed the Olympic Ballroom at the Edgewater Hotel for two hours straight touching, tasting and talking about the innovation on display. This year we also added a pre-conference day to the Summit right before the opening reception and showcase of the newest startups in the space. The pre-conference workshops were a big hit–speakers like renowned kitchen designer Johnny Grey talked the future of kitchen design and what it means to create an emotionally smart kitchen. Folks from Char-Broil, Dado Labs and Behmor talked about the work of building a product for the connected kitchen and Williams-Sonoma, b8ta and Anova dove into the challenges of taking products to retail. The workshop sessions ended with insight from the VC world about what's compelling for funders and what they're seeing in the smart kitchen/food tech startup space. Mark Valdez from Playground Global commented on the necessary elements for a winning product, saying, "Change user behavior or adapt user behavior–these are the elements of category defining products." STARTUP SHOWCASE Welcoming the newest companies creating connected and smart food and kitchen devices, the SKS opening reception featured a Startup Showcase with fifteen finalists showing off their products. We saw Alchema, a unique home-brew cider maker alongside SproutsIO, a smart micro garden that allows a user to grow fresh produce conveniently right at home. From a cocktail maker, a temperature sensor and timer, a 3D food printer and a mobile gluten sensor, attendees were able to see some of the most exciting new products in the kitchen ecosystem across cooking, beverages, health & wellness and other areas. BUILDING A COMMUNITY It's more evident than ever that this is a community we are building. This group of food lovers, product makers, technologists, and entrepreneurs have come together because we see how the future of food, cooking and kitchen is going to change over the next five, ten, fifteen years and we all want to be a part of it together. I saw this growing community all week as I walked around and talked with many of you, exchanged ideas, laughed and promised to connect in the near future. I listened to it on stage and in the sponsor area. I also saw it on social media as well. Most importantly, it was happening with conversations taking place in the hallways, at the lunch table, at happy hour. I'm both hopeful and confident these connections we've made will continue to grow over the next year as we solidify friendships, forge partnerships, and share ideas on our new website, The Spoon or connect in person at events and meet-ups around the globe. For more information, visit www.smartkitchensummit.com. Michael Wolf, creator & curator, Smart Kitchen Summit RO

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