Aerospace Entrepreneur Burt Rutan to Keynote IPC APEX EXPO 2020

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Each year, IPC APEX EXPO features industry’s most dynamic, innovative minds to deliver keynote presentations that are both educational and entertaining. IPC APEX EXPO 2020 will feature aerospace entrepreneur and Virgin Galactic spacecraft designer Burt Rutan. During the opening keynote on February 4, Rutan will present, “SpaceShipOne: A New Era in Commercial Space Travel and Inspiration for Innovation and the New Race for Space.”

Described by Newsweek as “the man responsible for more innovations in modern aviation than any living engineer,” Rutan is a bold visionary with a passion for the advancement of technology. He founded the aerospace research firm Scaled Composites and was named one of “the world’s 100 most influential people” by TIME in 2005. Rutan designed the legendary Voyager, the first aircraft to circle the world nonstop without refueling. He also created SpaceShipOne, the world’s first privately funded spacecraft, which won the $10 million Ansari X Prize, offered in an effort to spur the development of affordable space tourism.

Rutan is currently working on two projects: the Stratolaunch — part airplane, part spaceship, and the SkiGull, an amphibious aircraft that runs on the same gas we use for cars and boats. In business, Rutan believes that the best ideas come from the collaborative efforts of small, closely-knit project teams and an environment not limited by adversity to risk. He’ll inspire IPC APEX EXPO keynote attendees with his vision on creativity, innovation and managers’ tasks to motivate a creative team.

Rutan’s opening keynote is free to all registered IPC APEX EXPO attendees. The conference and exhibition will run February 4–6, 2020. For more information, visit www.IPCAPEXEXPO.org.

About IPC

IPC is a global industry association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 5,400 member-company sites which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $2 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, Ga.; Brussels, Belgium; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore and New Delhi, India; Bangkok, Thailand; and Qingdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Suzhou and Beijing, China.