Parks Associates' 30th CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, May 5-7 in Santa Clara, to Unite Industry Leaders on AI, Smart Energy, Security, Broadband, Insurance, and Next-Gen Connected Living

Smart home is mainstream, with 49% of US internet households owning a smart home device

PLANO, Texas, Feb. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Parks Associates, a global market research and consulting firm with 40 years of industry leadership, today announced the first list of featured speakers for its 30th annual CONNECTIONS™: The Premier Connected Home Conference, May 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara in Santa Clara, California. This signature event convenes senior executives and innovators from broadband, smart home, energy, security, AI, and connected services to examine the data-driven opportunities shaping the future of connected living.

CONNECTIONS™ provides research insights from Parks Associates and brings together industry leaders across evolving consumer digital ecosystems. The event's speakers, sponsors, and attendees represent the hundreds of different brands now active in the smart home ecosystem and vying for consumer attention, engagement, and revenues.

"We can't wait to welcome industry leaders to our 30^th event in May," said Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein, VP, Research, Parks Associates. "Attendees represent the full value chain. From product leaders and service providers to investors and technology strategists, it is an honor to bring the industry together each year at CONNECTIONS™."

Parks Associates' latest proprietary research reveals momentum in connected technologies and AI-enabled experiences:

49% of US internet households now own at least one smart home device.
30% of households purchased a smart home device in the past 12 months.
Smart home purchasing patterns are influenced by consumer concerns regarding price changes, with 11% buying to avoid higher costs and 21% delaying due to anticipated price changes.
Amazon Alexa leads smart home platform control at 32% adoption, followed by Google Assistant at 14%.

Designed for strategic leaders, CONNECTIONS™ features Parks Associates' expert research presentations and executive panels:

AI-Powered Smart Living 
Connected Energy Ecosystems 
Security & Privacy 
Monetization Strategies 
Broadband & Connectivity  

The first round of featured speakers at CONNECTIONS™ includes top executives and thought leaders with high-level industry expertise:

Ben Berg, Product Manager, Alarm.com: integrated services and the future of home automation.
Robin Crawford, Chief Business Development Officer, Origin AI: building AI-driven ecosystems.
Colin Cureton, Product Line VP, Home, Silicon Labs: reliable wireless innovation for smart home.
Tim Eskew, Product Director, Residential Electronics, Allegion: leadership in connected home hardware and partnerships.
John Grady, CEO, Ayla Networks: platform-based connectivity and IoT integration.
Morgan Hertel, VP, Technology & Innovation, Rapid Response Monitoring: security service evolution.
Brad Hintze, EVP, Customer Success & Marketing, Crestron: shaping customer experience across enterprise and home systems.
Jishnu Kinwar, VP, AI & Innovation, Chamberlain: AI-driven solutions for residential access and automation.
Ramkumar Krishnan, Head of Cleantech Incubation, LG NOVA, LG Electronics: innovation in energy and sustainability tech.
Dennis Kyle, SVP, Smart Building, RealPage: smart building transformation and IoT convergence.
Gene LaNois, VP, Business Development, Vivint, an NRG company: strategy for energy integration and connected services.
John Mack, Managing Director & Sector Co-Head, Security & Safety, Raymond James: strategic insight on valuation and growth in security and IoT.
Tajinder (Taj) Manku, CEO & Co-Founder, Cognitive Systems: Wi-Fi motion sensing and AI-driven connectivity.
Mabell Garcia Paine, West Coast Business Development & Sales Leader, Carrier: advancing smart HVAC and connected solutions.
David Puckett, VP II, Global Devices Product Management, Comcast: device strategy and platform evolution.
Robert Vance, VP, New Markets, Gentex: new applications and market expansion opportunities across connected living.

CONNECTIONS™ sponsors:

Research

Alarm.com
Silicon Labs

Platinum

Kwikset
Origin
Rapid Response Monitoring
Raymond James
TechSee
Vivint, an NRG Company

Registration

Becklar

Wi-Fi

SkyBell

Event

Ayla Networks
eero
Ensure Protect
Integrated Systems Technology
Ivani
MarketBetter
Plume
Telecom Design
Ubiety

Breakfast, Lunch, and Break

Arity
Calix
Moen
Morse Micro

Registration is open. For information about attending or sponsoring, contact Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein at 972-490-1113.

About CONNECTIONS™
Parks Associates will host the 30th annual CONNECTIONS™ on May 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. CONNECTIONS™ is a pivotal platform for partnerships and exploring the future of technology adoption and its impact on consumers and businesses. www.connectionsus.com

Mindi Sue Sternblitz-Rubenstein
Parks Associates
972.490.1113
[email protected]

SOURCE Parks Associates