Trends from the Digitalization Fair in Odense.

Sustainability is a consideration in multiple different types of products and services. It can be everything from sensors that turn on the lights to energy-saving hosting solutions. "Work smart, not hard" still applies. Among other things, there were presentations on using robots and artificial intelligence to optimise work processes and presentations and dialogues about how we uphold the welfare model when we face a future with fewer people in practical human-to-human jobs. 

Last but not least, several exhibitors and presentations focused on measurements of CO2 consumption and green accounts. 

Compliance with the GDPR legislation still takes up a lot of municipal everyday life, and several presentations focused on this. On the contrary, there is still a significant focus on collecting data that public actors can use to optimise and automate work processes.  

Tender is a big focus, both in the municipalities and with the municipalities' suppliers. At the Digitalization Fair, several presentations focused on making the tender processes easier. The overall impression is that the municipalities face the same challenges and that it is expensive for them to find all the answers themselves. Another theme that, quite naturally, attracted much attention was how to work together on solutions across municipalities and industries.

What we took away from the fair was that there is a good dialogue between suppliers and municipalities and between municipalities. We face the same challenges, and there is a great willingness to share experiences so that others can learn from them. 

In particular, we notice that sustainability has come up on the agenda with both municipalities and suppliers, and we are happy about that. The focus on sustainability shows that the trends we have noticed in our work are the same in other suppliers and municipalities.