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IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Readies for Tomorrow’s Show Opener
April 8, 2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
IPC APEX EXPO is finally happening in Anaheim this week. As we entered the Anaheim Convention Center this past Friday, the weather was colder than expected, but the sun still shone. Making our way to the entrance doors, the small groups of happy but tired-looking Disneyland goers filled our path, as did hundreds of young, sparkle-clad cheerleaders from across the nation whose competition was taking place in a neighboring hall.
As crews worked efficiently to put up the more than 400 booths that will be part of IPC APEX EXPO this week in halls C and D, the conference kicked off quietly with IPC standards development and task group meetings over the weekend and continuing through today. In fact, our editorial staff peeked in on an IPC-J-STD-001 and IPC-A-610 discussion with over 100 people in attendance. To us, this was a testament of the extraordinary time and effort that goes into both standards development and updates.
Though the show floor will not open until tomorrow at 9 a.m., 32 Professional Development learning opportunities are in full swing. I was fortunate to attend a 3D printing session by Kat Ermant of Peloton in the morning and a Design for Reliability session by Paul Cooke of Ventec in the afternoon, while my I-Connect007 colleagues made sure to divide and conquer, hitting up all of the design sessions, an area that is noticeably quite robust this year now that IPC has made design one of its core initiatives.
Today, I am looking forward to an AI discussion by Dr. Jennie Hwang, and a discussion on thermal management, but it is difficult not to have some FOMO (fear of missing out) since it is impossible to attend every valuable session being offered. The EMS Leadership Summit also happens today.
We have spent quite a bit of time anticipating the technical program, special sessions and professional development leading up to the big show. I hope most attendees took heed and will take advantage. The program appears to be a stand-out this year. With the ECWC16 being hosted by IPC this year, there is even more global industry expertise in the white paper and posters program.
But tomorrow will be the “main event,” at least as most IPC APEX EXPO attendees see it. The show floor will open with great fanfare. A big red ribbon will be cut. An amazing keynote speaker will inspire us with his professional experience and wit, and we will all get our steps in as we make the rounds. As for I-Connect007, if you are here, please stop by booth #1412 and check out our new studio. We will be conducting over 100 interviews over the next three days and look forward to sharing them with you on our Real Time with... IPC show site which will come online soon. Stay tuned.
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