How Plugfests Help to Improve the Product Quality of Smart City Applications

Published on 2025-02-20

Close collaboration of TALQ member companies eases the integration of the TALQ interface protocol standard

The TALQ Consortium hosts annual Plugfest events to ensure a robust certification process and to share deep tech know-how among its members. Each year, whether participants are long-term members with proven TALQ-certified products or new companies still completing integration and certification, they unanimously agree that the event offers valuable insights and learning opportunities. In 2024, the Plugfest demonstrated its ability to accelerate the TALQ Certification process through the example of Turkish member Lotec. The 2025 Plugfest, available exclusively to members, is already in planning.

During a Plugfest, software development teams from various member companies test their protocol integrations against each other and validate the performance of the TALQ Certification Tool (TCT). Typically, a Plugfest lasts 1–2 weeks, depending on whether it is held in-person or remotely. In both formats, companies pair their products—such as Central Management Software (CMS) or Gateways—in multiple sessions with different manufacturers.

This process offers an ideal opportunity to enhance the flexibility and reliability of smart city applications by verifying interoperability with products from other members. Additionally, manufacturers benefit from shared insights and mutual learning, often refining their solutions based on these experiences. Throughout the sessions, all participants receive independent, objective technical support, ensuring productive and effective collaboration.

TALQ Certification in 10 days
The benefits of general face-to-face meetings and Plugfests for new members were clearly demonstrated last year by Lotec. Shortly after joining the consortium, Lotec attended a TALQ meeting in Vienna, Austria, in June 2024. Motivated by the insights gained there, the company’s software team immediately began integrating the Smart City Protocol to participate in the September Plugfest. Their active involvement was pivotal: by collaborating with more experienced members, they deepened their understanding of the protocol and refined their product. In particular, they identified ambiguities in areas such as ad-hoc log reports and the bootstrap process, uncovering opportunities to improve their implementation—all thanks to testing with multiple TALQ-certified products. In October, just ten days after submitting their test results, Lotec achieved TALQ Certification for both Lighting and Lighting Asset Management profiles, addressing two key areas of smart city infrastructure.

“A Plugfest is one of the most important events for anyone working with standards, whether defining or implementing them. That’s why we have organized regular Plugfests since 2015. We are surprised by the new learnings every year, but also extremely proud of the trustful collaboration of our members to create benefits for the end-users: cities and utilities,” highlights Simon Dunkley, Secretary General of the TALQ Consortium.

Entire press release (English) as pdf

NOTA DE PRENSA (Español)

Cómo los Plugfests mejoran la calidad de los productos para ciudades inteligentes

La colaboración entre las empresas miembros de TALQ facilita la integración del estándar de comunicación TALQ

El Consorcio TALQ, desarrollador del Smart City Protocol —un estándar global de interfaz para aplicaciones de ciudades inteligentes—, organiza cada año eventos Plugfest con el objetivo de garantizar un proceso de certificación sólido y compartir conocimientos técnicos avanzados entre sus miembros. Cada edición reúne tanto a empresas con productos ya certificados por TALQ como a nuevas compañías en proceso de integración y certificación, y todas coinciden en que el evento aporta información valiosa y oportunidades de aprendizaje. En 2024, el Plugfest demostró su capacidad para agilizar el proceso de certificación TALQ con el caso de éxito de Lotec, miembro de Turquía. La edición de 2025, exclusiva para miembros, ya está en fase de planificación.

Nota de prensa Español (pdf)

COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE (Française)

Comment les plugfests améliorent la qualité des applications pour les villes intelligentes

L’étroite collaboration entre les entreprises membres de TALQ facilite l’intégration de la norme d’interface applicative TALQ

Le Consortium TALQ, développeur du Protocole Smart City éponyme, une norme internationale d’interfaçage entre les applications pour les villes intelligentes, organise chaque année des évènements de tests appelés « plugfests » pour garantir un processus de certification rigoureux et partager un savoir-fair parmi ses membres. Que les participants soient des membres de longue date avec des produits déjà certifiés TALQ ou de nouvelles entreprises en cours d’intégration et de certification de leurs produits, ils s’accordent tous à dire que l’événement offre des perspectives et des opportunités d’apprentissage importantes. En 2024, le plugfest a démontré sa capacité à accélérer le processus de certification TALQ à travers l’exemple de Lotec, entreprise Turc qui développe des contrôleurs d’éclairage public. La date de l’édition 2025 du plugfest, disponible uniquement pour les membres, sera bientôt annoncée.

Communiquè de presse française (pdf)

PRESSEMELDUNG (Deutsch)

Wie Plugfests helfen, die Produktqualität von Smart-City-Anwendungen zu verbessern

Die enge Zusammenarbeit der TALQ-Mitgliedsunternehmen vereinfacht die Integration des TALQ-Protokollstandards

Das TALQ Konsortium, Entwickler des Smart City-Protokolls – ein globaler Schnittstellenstandard für Smart-City-Anwendungen – veranstaltet jedes Jahr einen Plugfest, um einen sicheren Zertifizierungsprozess zu gewährleisten und seinen Mitgliedern den Austausch von technischem Know-how zu ermöglichen. Jedes Jahr sind sich die Teilnehmer einig – egal ob langjährige Mitglieder mit bewährten TALQ-zertifizierten Produkten oder neue Mitglieder, die noch mit der Integration des Protokolls beschäftigt sind und die Zertifizierung noch vor sich haben – dass die Veranstaltung wertvolle Einblicke und Lernerfolge bietet. Im Jahr 2024 hat der Plugfest am Beispiel des türkischen Mitgliedsunternehmen Lotec sogar gezeigt, dass die Teilnahme den TALQ-Zertifizierungsprozess beschleunigen kann. Der Plugfest 2025, der ausschließlich für Mitglieder zugänglich ist, ist bereits in Vorbereitung.

Vollständige Pressemeldung auf Deutsch (pdf)

新闻稿

Plugfest大会如何助力提升智慧城市应用的产品质量

TALQ成员企业通力合作，致力于简化TALQ接口协议标准的集成

作为智慧城市应用全球接口标准《智慧城市协议》的开发者，TALQ联盟举办了一年一度的Plugfest大会，以确保认证流程无懈可击并加强其成员间技术知识的分享与交流。每年，无论参与方是拥有成熟TALQ认证产品的老成员，还是仍在集成与认证之路上不断努力探索的新公司，都一致认为此项活动为他们提供了宝贵的洞见和学习机会。2024年，Plugfest以土耳其成员Lotec为例，向大家展示了其加速TALQ认证流程的能力。2025 Plugfest已在筹划中，仅面向成员开放。

新闻稿 (pdf)

보도 자료

스마트 시티 애플리케이션의 제품 품질 향상을 위한 플러그페스트의 역할

TALQ 회원사 간의 긴밀한 협력을 통한 TALQ 인터페이스 프로토콜 표준 통합 촉진

스마트 시티 애플리케이션을 위한 글로벌 인터페이스 표준인 스마트 시티 프로토콜을 개발한 TALQ 컨소시엄은 매년 플러그페스트 행사를 개최하여 강력한 인증 프로세스를 보장하고 회원사 간 심층적인 기술 노하우를 공유하고 있다. 오랜 기간 TALQ 인증을 받은 제품을 보유한 기존 회원사부터 통합 및 인증을 완료하는 단계인 신규 기업까지, 매년 모든 참가자들은 본 행사가 귀중한 인사이트와 배움의 기회를 제공한다고 평가한다. 2024년, 플러그페스트에서는 터키 회원사인 Lotec의 사례를 통해 TALQ 인증 프로세스의 가속화 가능성이 확인되었다. 2025년 플러그페스트는 회원사만을 위한 행사로, 이미 한창 준비 중이다.

보도 자료 (pdf)

BASIN BÜLTENİ

Plugfest Etkinlikleri Akıllı Şehir Uygulamalarının Ürün Kalitesini Artırmaya Nasıl Yardımcı Olur?

TALQ üyesi şirketlerin yakın işbirliği, TALQ arayüz protokolü standardının entegrasyonunu kolaylaştırıyor

Piscataway, NJ, USA– Şubat 20, 2025 – Akıllı şehir uygulamaları için küresel bir arayüz standardı olan Akıllı Şehir Protokolü'nün geliştiricisi olan TALQ Konsorsiyumu, sağlam bir sertifikasyon süreci sağlamak ve üyeleri arasında derin teknoloji bilgi birikimini paylaşmak için yıllık Plugfest etkinliklerine ev sahipliği yapıyor. Her yıl, katılımcılar ister belgelenmiş TALQ sertifikalı ürünlere sahip uzun süreli üyeler olsun, ister entegrasyon ve sertifikasyonu tamamlamak üzere olan yeni şirketler olsun, etkinliğin değerli bilgiler ve öğrenme fırsatları sunduğu konusunda hemfikirler. Plugfest, 2024 yılında TALQ Sertifikasyonu sürecini hızlandırma yeteneğini Türk üyesi Lotec örneğiyle gösterdi. Sadece TALQ üyelerine açık olan 2025 Plugfest planlaması şimdiden yapılmaya başlandı.

BASIN BÜLTENİ (pdf)