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Clasma Events and Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative Partner to Deliver Consumer Symposium, May 23, in Santa Clara, California
SANTA CLARA, Calif., (April 21, 2011/PR Newswire) - Roll up your sleeves and fasten your seat belts because Smart Grid consumer discussions are about to heat up next month in Silicon Valley. Clasma Events today announced that the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) will co-host an innovative Consumer Symposium on Monday, May 23, as part of the annual ConnectivityWeek conference at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
“This interactive symposium of experts and engaged stakeholders is designed to help us get beyond the rhetoric and advance the conversation to arrive at practical solutions,” said symposium organizer Judith Schwartz, president of To the Point and author of the SGCC's 2011 State of the Consumer Report. “We hope people will walk away with clear ideas on how to change the tone of the conversation in their communities."
The day-long symposium will take place on the Monday of ConnectivityWeek, kicking off with an opening session that explores how to achieve a culture of listening and collaboration. A diverse group of stakeholders will then tackle three controversial topics that are attracting the attention of the mainstream media today:
- Health Concerns and Smart Grid: Participants will examine how stakeholder groups evaluate health impacts, how these subjects should be explained to the public, and who should pay for workarounds for people unconvinced by available evidence.
- Privacy and Data Access: Participants will look at proposed architectures and policies that safeguard digital gateways from intrusion, awareness programs that enable consumers to obtain benefits safely when they choose to share personal data, and ways to create safeguards that protect the public.
- Low-Income Communities and Dynamic Pricing: Participants will evaluate the arguments and evidence related to Smart Grid deployments for medically frail, elderly, and limited-income consumers and identify ways vulnerable individuals can be protected while giving everyone the opportunity to take actions to save on their own utility bills.
Representing all Facets of the Consumer Debate
“Gathering all stakeholders to listen, educate, and collaborate on smart grid issues is central to the SGCC’s mission,” said SGCC Executive Director Patty Durand. “That’s why we have partnered to sponsor this uniquely interactive gathering of stakeholder organizations representing the range of perspectives.”
Panelists will lead conversations with symposium participants, including regulators, consumer and environmental advocates, utilities, technology companies, service providers, subject matter experts, journalists, and others who have been speaking out in these often-heated exchanges. A full list of speakers is available here.
The Most Important Speaker Is … You
“Forget what you know about traditional panel sessions,” Schwartz said. “This symposium is designed to engage the creativity and imagination of our audience to the maximum extent possible, ensuring we can find the common ground needed to move forward productively."
The Consumer Symposium will take place Monday, May 23, from 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at ConnectivityWeek, which runs May 23-26, 2011. To participate in the symposium, register for ConnectivityWeek at www.ConnectivityWeek.com.
About the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative
The SGCC is a consumer focused non-profit organization aiming to promote the understanding and benefits of modernized electrical systems among all stakeholders in the United States. Membership is open to all consumer and environmental advocates, technology vendors, research scientists, and electric utilities for sharing in research, best practices, and collaborative efforts of the group. smartgridcc.org.
About Clasma Events
Clasma Events, Inc. specializes in strategic conferences at the center of the worldwide energy discussion. Clasma provides a stage for collaboration and cooperation among industry thought leaders at the forefront of the smart energy movement. Focusing on Smart Grid, connectivity, and the new energy economy, Clasma’s major events include ConnectivityWeek, GridWeek, and Grid-Interop.
Clasma, GridWeek, ConnectivityWeek, and Grid-Interop are trademarks or registered trademarks of Clasma International Corporation. Other product or service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.
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Clasma Contact:
Allison Eckelkamp
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508-769-6276
SGCC Contact:
Nancy Broe
(404) 583-0003
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