Having just gotten settled from my return from the 2009 Telematics Detroit event, I have some observations: 

1.      This year’s event appeared to be the biggest yet.  I don’t have the official statistics, but the room where the main event was held appeared to be at least twice as large as in previous years and it was pretty much filled for the keynote sessions. 

2.      Due to the well known challenges going on in the automotive industry I didn’t really know what to expect attitude or “buzz” wise.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the vast majority of attendees were very positive.  It seems that the broad area of telematics – in this case encompassing safety and security, infotainment, and navigation systems – is providing some positive momentum in the industry.

3.      The audience continues to broaden for the event.  For example, there were quite a few new attendees from several major insurance companies.  This is a positive sign that the scope of telematics applications – and thus the addressable market for equipment and services – will continue to grow.   The continuing growth of sub-segments such as Pay-as-you-Drive Insurance and Auto Financing Payment Assurance Technology will help to smooth out the effects of business cycle dips in the more established segments such as OEM Automotive and Fleet Tracking.   

All in all, it was a very strong event and I left with a positive impression of the continued growth potential for the telematics industry.