Kone, one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry, has signed up as the gold sponsor for the upcoming Smart Skyscrapers Summit in Dubai, UAE.

The two-day event, which will kick off on May 11 at Sofitel The Palm Resort and Spa in Dubai, offers insights into the unique technology, design and solutions that bring smart skyscrapers to life across the world.

Kone’s association with the summit is in line with its commitment towards environmental excellence through eco-efficient solutions, services and operations, said Johannes de Jong, the head of technology, Major Projects, Kone.

Industry statistics indicate that elevators and escalators utilise up to two to five per cent of the energy in most buildings, but can touch as high as 50 per cent during peak usage hours, stated de Jong, who will be speaking at the event on innovative technology to future proof buildings.

According to him, factoring in the special requirements of skyscrapers, the energy consumption can very easily spiral out of control, if left unchecked.

The event organiser Expotrade Middle East said finding ways to combine energy-efficiency and sustainability, with technology and safety considerations, pose questions that are interesting, yet challenging.

Providing solutions to these challenges is the focus of the session on smart vertical transportation at the Smart Skyscrapers Summit 2015, it added.

De Jong underscored the importance of smart, scalable solutions for key areas such as access and destination control, as well as communication and monitoring.

"The summit presents great possibilities for networking and experience sharing, an attractive attribute to our participation are the delegates at the event. Last year we connected with key players in the industry and the results were very fruitful and beneficial for Kone," he stated.

"The topic of the upcoming event is extremely relevant for Kone as a service provider for some of the most famous skyscrapers here in Dubai, including Princess Tower and Cayan Tower. We believe that Smart Skyscrapers Summit will provide a wonderful opportunity for us to present our newest product range to the delegates," added de Jong.

Brad Hariharan, the regional director at Expotrade Middle East, welcomed the Kone partnership.

"Kone’s keen focus on developing solutions that perfectly blend energy efficiency and user comfort with integrated systems and traffic flow optimisation, can be directly linked to the core theme of sustainable and safe high-rise development of buildings at the Smart Skyscrapers Summit 2015," noted Hariharan.

"We have been associated with Kone since the inception of the Smart Skyscrapers Summit and we look forward to an even longer association with them," he added.-TradeArabia News Service