TMC, in association with Intelligent Communications Partners (ICP), has provided a program update for the Smart Grid Summit, taking place Feb. 2 to 4, at the Miami Beach Convention Center. 

Mark Armentrout, president of the Texas Institute, will deliver a keynote address on Wednesday, Feb. 2, at 9:10 a.m. This session, entitled “The Smart Grid Vision,” will compare the rise of the smart grid to the evolution of the Internet. It will illustrate the similarities between today’s smart grid, and the Internet of 1993, and it will forecast how the classic phases of introduction, contagion, maturation and control may unfold for the smart grid.  

From 2005 through 2008, Mark Armentrout served as board chairman of ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages the electric flow to 85 percent of Texas’ electric load. Armentrout was a member of the board from 2003 through 2009. Prior to ERCOT, Mark was an information technology executive vice president for MBNA, the world’s largest independent credit card company, which is now part of Bank of America. Prior to joining MBNA, Armentrout spent 24 years with Atlantic Richfield Company, where he managed information technology services for exploration and production on a global basis.

“It is obvious to us at the Texas Institute that smart grid success will rely on an ecosystem of companies that have never had to work closely together before, and this may also be the case amongst departments within individual companies,” said Armentrout. “The Smart Grid Summit is an ideal event to create solutions to these issues.”

“ERCOT is currently undertaking a market-leading smart grid initiative, and we’ll provide an update to all attendees on this development at the Smart Grid Summit,” said Jon Arnold (News - Alert), founder of ICP, and co-producer of the Smart Grid Summit.

Several sessions have been added to the Smart Grid Summit Conference Program in recent weeks, including the following special presentations: 

• The Voice of the Customer: Are Utilities Listening?: Today, utilities need to manage more than just billing issues. As new smart grid and smart home services are introduced, utilities must become more customer-centric than ever before. This panel, featuring Ulysses Learning’s Dina Vance and Nuance’s (News - Alert) Christy Murfitt, will examine evolving customer needs. It will also discuss the potential repercussions that utilities may face for failing to embrace these needs. 
• Transmission and Distribution: Building a Strong Foundation: Utilities face requirements today that currently exceed what the existing infrastructure can support. Transmission and distribution require extensive financial commitments, and the integration of new technologies, specifically around communications networks. This session, featuring Rudi Schubert, principal consultant of EnerNex Corporation, will provide a reality check for utility decision makers.    

The focus of Smart Grid Summit is built around the intersection of energy, telecom and IT. The event provides a rich mix of content and networking opportunities with utilities, telecoms, equipment vendors, software developers, academics, industry associations and policymakers.

Sponsorship, branding and advertising opportunities are available, and interested parties should contact Kevin Lake at [email protected] for further details. Registration for the Smart Grid Summit remains open, and members of the media can reserve media credentials by contacting Todd Keefe at For Immediate Release PR.

The Smart Grid Summit is the fastest growing collocated event at ITEXPO (News - Alert). Other events taking place at ITEXPO in Miami include: 4GWE; Social CRM; M2M Evolution; Cloud Communications; SIP Tutorial; VIPeering; Channel Vision Expo; Business Video Expo; StartupCamp; Super WiFi Summit; Regulatory 2.0 and Digium|Asterisk (News - Alert) World.