IHA catches up with digital lifestyle expert Carley Knobloch, for a preview of her discussion about Smart Home technologies at the upcoming 2017 International Home + Housewares Show in the Innovation Theater.
Carley Knobloch is on a mission to help people improve their relationship with technology, one tap or swipe at a time. She’s a home automation expert and host for HGTV, where she helps audiences make sense of emerging home technology in an easy, approachable way. Carley is a regular contributor on the Today Show and CNN, and has been featured in Real Simple, Allure, and Bloomberg Businessweek. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, two children, a springer spaniel and numerous smartphones.
Scripps Networks tapped her to host the walkthroughs of the very first HGTV Smart Home 2013, which meant she got to do what she loves best: play with gadgets in a pretty house.
Since then Carley became the go-to expert for HGTVRemodels.com, exploring the intersection of home and tech on series like Home Control, covering CEDIA and CES and the HGTV Smart Home 2014 in Nashville, TN. In her series Smart, Simple, Solved, Carley takes humorous aim at modern day quandaries and offers both high and low tech solutions for everything from finding time to exercise to de-stressing your morning routine.
Carley became a life coach in 2006 and her saw that clients were stressed, disorganized, and wanted to simply live smarter. Downloading an app or learning a new piece of software was often the answer, so she focused her energy on helping even more people navigate the digital world through her website, CarleyK.com, and her Webby-nominated YouTube show, Digitwirl.
Carley, what is the most exciting or rewarding part of your work? What fuels your inspiration?
I’m always on the hunt for technology that tells a compelling story— is it beautiful, does it make my life easier? Can it save me time or money, or make me feel better? Those are the products that will get people excited about technology, which is always my mission.
Can you name a pivotal event or project that impacted your career or company?
January 2007— when first iPhone was released. At the time I was a life coach, working with high-powered women who were managing career, home, family, relationships… suddenly, all my clients had a phone and desperately wanted to know how it could be the remote control for their lives. I started down the path of helping people harness the power of technology to make their lives easier, and I haven’t slowed down since!
The Smart Home/Connected Home space has evolved very rapidly in recent years. Can you sketch out some trends in what you’ve been seeing?
The biggest change has been the explosion of what I call “DIY” smart home technology — the kind that you can bring home from the store and install with minimal tech know-how. Suddenly, smart homes weren’t just for the rich— any homeowner could save energy, provide security, enhance design or make things more convenient, thanks to a new generation of smart home products. The Smart Home space has become a big focus for many of the brands and outlets I work with, including my own blog.
Why did you choose to speak at the International Home + Housewares Show?
I’m blown away by the size of the Show, to be sure, but it’s more than just square footage— it means that every major player in the appliance space is here to have a conversation about what’s next in our kitchens and our homes. I wanted to be a part of that conversation. That, and I’m a sucker for a good chef’s knife or closet organizer.
The Good, Bad and Ugly of Connected Things
Monday, March 20 10:30-11:20 am
Innovation Theater, Lakeside Center room E350
Tell us what you will be speaking about and how and this topic is important for Show audiences.
What else: Smart Home! Specifically, about how connected appliances are disrupting housewares, and how retailers can stay up to date on the trend and succeed in this new connected home era. To me, a truly smart home is as beautiful as it is intelligent— the gadgets fade into the background and you just feel like life is easier.
This is your first time presenting at our Theater. What are you looking forward to most from speaking at the Innovation Theater?
I’ll be doing a bit of a deeper dive into what consumers are excited about— and concerned about— when it comes to connected appliances.
What do you see as consumers’ biggest concerns regarding housewares products?
Price. Security. Staying current and being able to update things as technology advances. Those are all valid concerns when investing in any connected appliance and consumers are going to need some basic education to stay ahead of it all.
Thank you, Carley, for sharing your view from the front lines of this emerging category of products and environments. We look forward to learning more during your presentation in the Innovation Theater on Monday, March 20 at 10:30 am. Carley advised IHA on the development of our Smart Home pavilion in the Lakeside Center’s Hall of Global Innovation just a few steps away from the Innovation Theater. She will be present in the pavilion at times during the four days of the Show.
To connect with Carley, visit:
www.carleyk.com
YouTube: Digitwirl
Twitter: @carleyknobloch
Innovation propels the housewares industry. Learn from experts about how to invigorate your new products and services by enhancing your innovation efforts. Critical issues such as global design trends, licensing, the emerging Smart Home category, branding, the needs of distinct consumer age and gender groups, the future of food and parenting – all impact the home goods market. Be sure to attend the free executive-level educational sessions at the Innovation Theater. These programs will give you a fresh perspective as you walk the Show and will inspire, inform and improve your business.
The four days of the 2017 International Home + Housewares Show will be packed with events and education. To help you plan your valuable time at the Show, we introduce you to the speakers and the 21 exciting presentations that will take place in the Innovation Theater in the Lakeside Center. Gain cutting-edge insights that you can apply to your work. All programs are audio-recorded and will be available at www.housewares.org after the Show.
