Parks Associates names Mark Vena as Smart Home and Strategy leader

DALLAS—Parks Associates, a woman-owned and woman-led internationally recognized market research and consulting company, announced that Mark Vena, a longtime consumer technology executive, has joined the research firm as Senior Director, Smart Home and Strategy.

Parks Associates, celebrating its 35th year, is the leader for industry and consumer research and expertise focused on consumer, computing, and mobile technology markets. The firm conducts quarterly surveys of 10,000 U.S. broadband households, produces more than 70 syndicated research studies annually, and serves its clients with custom research, marketing services, and executive conferences.

“We are excited to have Mark lead our Smart Home and Security research practice,” said Elizabeth Parks, President, Parks Associates. “Connectivity and computing solutions are the foundation for the connected home. Service providers and device manufacturers have new opportunities to have a major and beneficial impact on consumers, delivering convenience, safety, and security to the connected lifestyle. Mark’s understanding of computing and the diffusion of technology for consumers and SMB markets will further advance our clients’ understanding of these markets.”

Vena’s product management and marketing background gives him a unique understanding of the challenges and pain points that companies face in developing products and services for consumers. He has played prominent leadership roles in the development of several successful consumer brands and products, including the development of the Presario product line at Compaq, the first consumer-specific brand in the PC space.

At Dell, Vena led the team that developed and launched the XPS brand, and at Sling Media, he had product marketing responsibility for the popular Slingbox family of place-shifting solutions, as well as leading the development and launch effort of SlingStudio, the first highly portable and wireless video production for bloggers and video enthusiasts. Most recently, Vena established the smart home practice at Moor Insights & Strategy as Senior Analyst.

“I could not be more thrilled about joining Parks Associates at this time,” Vena said. “While the smart home market has been growing steadily over the past several years, ecosystem players need credible, data-driven insights, now more than ever, to make informed product roadmap and marketing decisions that optimize the appeal and suitability of their products and solutions. I look forward to leveraging my product technology background and Parks Associates’ rich background in data analytics for generating enhanced insights about the challenges and opportunities in the connected home.”

Parks Associates hosts multiple executive conferences in the connected home space, including its signature event CONNECTIONS: The Premier Connected Home Conference, now in its 25th year. Additional conferences include Smart Energy Summit: Engaging the Consumer, CONNECTIONS Summit at CES, Connected Health Summit: Consumer Engagement and Innovation, Future of Video: OTT, Pay TV, and Digital Media, and CONNECTIONS Europe, now in its 15th year. 

“The connected home landscape is dynamic with new competitors and models shaking up long-established businesses in residential security, entertainment, and home services, while COVID-19 has dramatically shifted household patterns and needs,” said Jennifer Kent, VP Research, Parks Associates. “At Parks Associates, we seek to add to – and lead – the conversation with evidence and reliable data. Mark’s experience and vision will serve the players across the connected home landscape with the trusted insight and guidance they need now more than ever.”