Summing Up APPFORUM 2017

APPFORUM 2017 was a great success! We were overwhelmed with the positive response we received from participants. The event was hosted in four cities; Las Vegas, Prague, Shanghai and Melbourne and welcomed people from six continents - sorry no penguins from Antarctica ! This year, we expanded our audience to include tech leaders as well as developers, partners, and end users, offering them the opportunity to engage in conversations about ways to transform the enterprise through innovative software applications.

By changing our focus to include industry leaders and experts as our speakers, we had a multitude of companies leading sessions including Android, Microsoft, Yahoo, SAP, SOTI, Baidu, IBM, Philips Lighting, Xamarin and others. Presentations emphasized technology and programming trends in Enterprise software. In Las Vegas, Android kicked off our enterprise conversation focusing on a movement to connect workspaces on the enterprise and how new enhancements on the Android platform enable businesses to deliver smarter, more effective user experiences. Microsoft disclosed how you can leverage IoT Mobile on the Windows platform. Candid discussions with a panel of three CIO’s, moderated by Jeff Schmitz, Zebra CMO, focused on their business challenges and experiences.

In Prague, attendees were challenged to not just sit and watch all the disruptive change occurring in the software space, but to take control and drive the change themselves. Throughout the conference the concept of transforming solutions, applications and workflows took over and the audience at APPFORUM was showered with innovative technologies and concepts.

In Shanghai, we learned how far advanced China is in the deployment of IoT, cloud and mobility. They already have deployments showcased such as technologies of the future, including cashier-less stores. The mainstage presentations by both Baidu and Microsoft outlined the fascinating progress in their usage and strategy of AI. In Melbourne, the conversations focused on technical trends including how Zebra is responding to technology changes in the enterprise and how we are collaborating with the Android team.

A plethora of breakout sessions focused on such topics as Android security challenges, working across multiple platforms such as with tools like Xamarin, evaluating new languages like Kotlin, predictions for the future of mobile computing, and the future of vertical use cases and pain points.  Our platinum sponsor Ivanti talked about the move to Android and NiceLabel discussed the future of mobile printing for developers.

In addition to some spectacular mainstage presentations and breakout sessions, the Mini-Hacks proved to be a huge success in Las Vegas and Prague. The developers relished diving deep into code topics such as scanner integration, browser print, and printing with Xamarin. Being able to connect with experts first-hand, face-to-face was truly beneficial. To view sessions and presentations go here.

APPFORUM identified a true need for Zebra, our partners and customers to continue conversations about how we will shape the future through architecting and building enterprise software.  Watch for our support of these efforts to address top technical trends through our tech blogs, Dev { TALKS }, Dev Kitchens, Android Workshops, and increased participation in events on the forefront of change such as droidcon Berlin, droidcon San Francisco and more! Together we can Innovate. Engage. Transform.