More Than 10,000 converge at APEX, the Designers Summit, ECWC 10

The shows, held February 24-26, 2005, experienced five percent growth in attendee participation, attracting a total of 10,900 exhibitor personnel and attendee professionals. The three-day event, held in the Anaheim Convention Center, featured 484 exhibitors in a “sold-out” 159,150 net square feet of exhibit space. The professional development courses welcomed 1,400 participants and 1,200 people attended the Electronic Circuits World Convention technical conference. Free forums, poster presentations, and the Designers Summit were also well received. Also, this year’s Interconnect Manufacturing Services (IMS) / Printed Circuit Board (PCB) Presidents Management and Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Management Council meetings continued to draw strong numbers, with a total of 110 senior level managers in attendance. Exhibitors were delighted with the number of attendees and their need for new equipment. Scott Wischoffer, Applications Engineering & Marketing Manager, Fuji America Corporation, commented, “It was a great show due to the excitement in the industry over buying new equipment. We had a lot of people in our booth who need new equipment soon, not just ‘tire kickers.’ We introduced several new pieces of equipment and got a good response. It was very encouraging. As always, APEX brought in the top decision makers.” “We are excited by the industry’s response to this event. From attendees to exhibitors, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Denny McGuirk, IPC president. “Tradeshows fill a vital role in allowing buyers to see, test, and compare equipment and offerings from different suppliers and that’s where this event really does well. It was also responsible for an extraordinary amount of technical interchange. If people want to go where the industry is, they need to come to this show.” Underscoring McGuirk’s point, Dr. Paul Wang of Sun Microsystems noted: “The poster sessions and conference were a great combination of different topics and technologies – embedded components, new materials for lead free, mechanical stress, outsourcing trends, new packaging – and it was all information that I needed to know. APEX is always extremely well organized and it’s great to learn in the technical sessions and then talk to the suppliers right there at the show.” Next year’s co-located show will take place in Anaheim, Calif., at the Anaheim Convention Center.