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It was a perfect week for a conference and trade show in metropolitan Boston, with high temperatures in the 70s. PCB East took place at the Boxboro Regency Hotel and Conference Center April 29–May 2, with the expo on April 30. PCB East has been expanding since its relaunch a few years ago, with conference and show attendance rising each year. This year was no different, with show managers pointing to conference and expo attendance increases of 2% and 5% respectively over last year.
The show floor was pretty busy throughout the day, and the free lunch on the floor kept attendees from wandering away in search of sustenance. Similarly, conference attendees were treated to free lunch throughout the week, and one thing that all designers love is free food.
Speaking of free, the “Free Wednesday” conference program has proven to be a big draw, and this year’s free classes included presentations by Stephen V. Chavez, Rick Hartley, and Todd Westerhoff. Designers, much like journalists, enjoy anything that is gratis.
It was like Homecoming Week at PCB East. I ran into local PCB designers, fabricators, and EDA tool company staff who don’t usually travel to PCB West, DesignCon, or IPC APEX EXPO. The storytelling was off the chart, especially during “Beer on the Floor” at the end of the expo. Following that, a PCB Design Community Meetup was held in front of the hotel; the hard-working bartenders simply pushed one of the mobile bars out of the expo hall and into the meetup.
Over 60 exhibitors filled the expo hall, including fabricators, EDA tool vendors, test companies, design bureaus, and material providers. These tabletop shows offer a serious bargain; if you get one order out of the event, you’ve more than paid for the show and kept your name out there among the people you want to reach. Most exhibitors I spoke with said they clocked in plenty of good leads at this year’s show.
The mood about the industry was upbeat. Some global companies reported that the new tariff negotiations were keeping them a little too busy, but they also acknowledged that other countries had definitely been sticking it to the U.S. with excessive tariffs for decades, and that change was long overdue. Everyone was bullish on the PCB design segment, and excited about new technology. As usual, there was a lot of uncertainty about AI and its use in PCB design, but most people I spoke with said that AI was here to stay, one way or another.
It was a great show, and it was nice to see everyone again.
