Last night’s Mobile Monday event in Boston confirmed that NFC is an increasingly hot topic whose appeal extends well past the sphere of mobility, as there was strong representation from the software developer, investment and media communities as well.
Attendance for this event was impressive, with over 400 people turning out for the presentation and panel discussions. The major draw—in addition to the complimentary hors d’oeuvres—was the excellent speaker and panel roster, which included NFC heavyweights such as NXP, Nokia, Verizon and Ingenico.
The presentation and panel discussions covered a range of the usual NFC talking points, including adoption rates, timeline expectations and sales forecasts. Panelists expressed a spectrum of opinions, ranging from the bearish (one expressed the view that contactless payments are 10 years or more down the road, and that is if they are of interest to consumers and merchants) to the more optimistic (NFC smartphone shipments are expected to eclipse 100M in 2012).
This Mobile Monday gathering also marked the inaugural NFC Cluster Boston event. Moving forward, the NFC Cluster will hold regular NFC-related events and discussions in the greater Boston area. Given the tremendous success of last night’s event, the organizers indicated efforts are underway to expand the NFC Cluster initiative to other cities throughout the US. If last night’s event is any indication, these gatherings will provide great insight and understanding as to what industry leaders are currently doing with NFC. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing what the next event offers.