Xmark Media, organizers of the Vacuum Expo and Photonex events, report on the
success of this year's event and announce the dates for 2013.
With twelve new exhibitors at last month's Vacuum Expo 2012,
Coventry, the sheer breadth of technology and range of equipment on
show proved be a big draw for visitors. The third Vacuum Expo event was
the biggest and best event in the series to date. Reports from the show
floor indicated that not only had the organisers increased visitor
numbers, the visitors were there to do business. Many exhibitors said
they had an excellent event with increased prospect numbers and plenty
of high quality discussions taking place on their stands. Post show
analysis has confirmed this visitor growth to be 30%.
Plenty of conversation during the 2012 Vacuum Expo event held at the Ricoh in October.
Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum had a novel attraction - the dismantling and
re-assembly of the largest dry vacuum pump for industrial application
ever seen at the exhibition. Marketing Manager Anna Newitt enthused:
"Vacuum Expo is one of the best shows we've ever done."
Vacuum Expo organiser Laurence Devereux commented on the event: "I'm
convinced that exhibitions will always be popular when there is a
strong, high quality technical programme run in parallel which is
offered free to all attendees. This is the winning formula for a UK
event. We are very grateful to the people who have contributed to the
Vacuum Symposium and have worked tirelessly to put together the
excellent scientific sessions. It is good for the UK to be the host to
a meeting of this calibre."
The Vacuum Symposium has developed into a "must-attend" event. The
well thought-out meetings attracted speakers and delegates from far and
wide; Canada, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Switzerland and Germany. The
'Thin Films' meeting programme was led by Hayley Brown of Plasma Quest
and the University of Surrey. It focused on metal oxides and optical
thin films. Dr Glen West of the Surface Engineering Group at Manchester
Metropolitan University said of the meeting "The thin films programme
was perhaps the most interesting that I have seen at a technical
session in recent years. The speakers were of a high quality, and
provided a well-balanced mix of technical expertise and industrial
experience."
The one-day "Vacuum and Plasmas for Industry" meeting drew a sizable
audience. Niall Macgearailt from Intel, Ireland, opened the meeting
with a talk on the "Plasma Process Control in the Semiconductor
Industry." He described the challenges of volume production world-wide
and keeping control of the plasma processes to keep the yield high and
the production line moving. Niall commented after the meeting "The
combination of the Vacuum Expo and technical sessions provide an
excellent networking opportunity. The large number of UK and European
based suppliers offering innovative products and solutions are
extremely encouraging." Meeting organiser, Alan Webb of IOP Vacuum
Group, commented on the quality of the meeting: "It is rare to have
speakers from so many different industry sectors all speaking in the
same programme. It is significant that in the world of vacuum that one
industry can learn from the experience of another. We are grateful to
all speakers and their companies and organisations for their
contributions which made the day so very successful."
Pfeiffer Vacuum found the exhibition a great way to meet existing
and potential customers. Paul Davies, Sales Manager, commented at the
close of the show; "A significantly busier show than previously. We
have met a wide selection of people on our stand from all industries
and from all over the country - confirming Vacuum Expo as the #1 event
for Vacuum Technology in the UK, possibly in Europe."
More details about Vacuum Expo can be viewed at www.vacuum-expo.com. Dates for next year's show
will be 16 & 17 October 2013, at Ricoh Arena Coventry.