In 2014, I noticed that the technologies I had been writing about for over a decade in digital media, networking, big data, automation, and mobility were beginning to touch how people make, discover, buy, cook and consume food.
In short, I realized the world of food and cooking were in the early days of a large-scale shift, one that would result in significant innovation over the next few decades in product design, food science and, perhaps most importantly, business models.
And so with the biggest changes still ahead, I created the Smart Kitchen Summit in 2015 with the hope of bringing the people from the worlds of food, appliances, retail, and tech together to have a conversation about the future. In just two short years, my little event has become the leading global summit on the future of food, cooking, and the kitchen. Last year’s event grew by 60%, and this year SKS is expanding to two full days with the most impressive lineup of speakers yet.
As we have grown SKS, I also realized early on that each region’s story is different, impacted by a unique mix of culture, business dynamics, and consumer tastes. Because of this, we decided would take SKS on the road, not only because I wanted to bring our community to other parts of the world, but also because I thought it important to incorporate these stories into our community as we look to help map the future of the kitchen.
And so with that, I am thrilled to announce our first non-US event, the Smart Kitchen Summit Japan.
To put together this exciting event which will occur in Tokyo on August 25th, I worked with a wonderful partner in SigmaXYZ, one of the leading strategy consultancies in Japan. My first contact with SigmaXYZ was with Hirotaka Tanaka, who had attended SKS2016 in Seattle. A few months later I connected with Hiro and his associate Akiko Okada at CES in Las Vegas, where we realized we had a similar excitement and interest in how innovation will impact the food, cooking and kitchen ecosystems. It didn’t take long for us to start discussing SKS Japan, and now I couldn’t be more excited to be working with Hiro, Akiko and the team at SigmaXYZ to bring together our first international SKS.
We’ve created a day packed with engaging sessions with visionaries from Japanese companies such as Cookpad and Oisix, US innovators such as PicoBrew, SideChef and Hestan Cue, as well as thought leaders from the Europe such as Johnny Grey to discuss the future of food and cooking technology, design and business models.
In addition to a jam-packed day full of sessions, but we are going to highlight startup innovation with a Startup Showcase. The Showcase, sponsored by Oisix, the largest meal kit delivery company in Japan, will feature both Japanese and US innovators pitching their technology.
In short, we have put together a summit in which we will explore how technology, culture and business model innovation will impact the Japanese and Asian kitchens, as well as explore how innovation originating in Japan could change the face of food and cooking across the globe.
If you would like to attend SKS Japan, I’d love to have you join us in Tokyo. You can buy tickets here, but I would suggest your hurry, as tickets are limited.
If you’re interested in participating as a sponsor, feel free to drop us a line and we’ll get back to you.
I look forward to seeing you in Tokyo in August.
Image credit: Flickr user Mirai Takahashi under creative commons license.
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