Conference vs. Expo

The Design Automation Conference (DAC) is in San Francisco this week at the Moscone Center and this event/show brings up a very good point of the Conference vs. the Expo. More observations at the end of the show as well.

Monday was Free Mondays for the expo hall for visitors. Free days for attendees is always a good thing and I am glad to see the organizers of this event continuing that. In the tough times the world is in, it is hard to justify the costs of conference and expo badge prices. If you look at various tradeshows and events around the globe, some are free and some can cost upwards of $1,000. For those who are on tight budgets, no budgets, or just want to check out the expo, a free pass is great. More organizers of events and shows should consider a free option if they do not have it already.

Tuesday was Management Day. I was graciously offered the Management Day package to be added to my already free pass for this event. Again, kudos to the organizer for scubbing their registration and actually qualifying attendees and exhibitors. A great way to know who is at your shows and events, is to actually look at the data. Unlike other organizers who do not look at the date, only to pad their headcount numbers, this is a great way to attract more people to site. Granted, the package was listed as $99 on their site and it can make you wonder; was it low pre-registration for this program and it needed to be filled or organizers trying to reach out? Management day was good, very focused and structured. The one thing that caught my attention was very little foot traffic in the lobby areas. The conferences and sessions were filled enough, but, not many people were milling around, trying to register, or get information. The expo floor was not all that packed either. Could this be a sign of the times and economy?

The organizers put together a BlogFest by inviting various blog contributors to the event which is a great idea. These are not just media outlets and professional writers, but everyday people and people who blog about industry happenings and other areas. It is a great concept and way to spread the word via social media. Very innovative and informative at the same time and a great way to reach more in a shorter time.

So we come to the question. What attracts more; the expo or the conference. It is tough to produce both events at the same time and run them. It's even harder to get exhibitors to say yes, I am going to make the investment on the show floor and be there for 4 days knowing how trade shows are down. There are some events out there that have had their issues with having a conference and expo area at the same time and drawing people to both. ITC, is a prime example of how the conference overtook the expo. For years, ITC had a huge draw to the show floor for exhibtors and attendees alike. As time went on, the conference area and keynotes were in a separate area and the show floor suffered. A change had to be made of course to draw more people to the floor and the organizers put the keynote area in the back of the show floor, forcing the flow of traffic to go through the show floor. It worked for traffic, but unfortunately, many exhibitors decided not to attend anymore. The same can be said for DISCON that has struggled in the past couple of years to attract more exhibitors and attendees to the show floor. There is one group that has done well over the years in producing a conference and expo and that is SPIE. This association/organizer puts on great events around the world in conjunction with great sessions and keynotes. Granted, attendance has been down for all events globally, but this organizer knows how to balance and make it work.

We will be at Moscone again tomorrow as the event wraps up to see how traffic is. It is not a great sign when the registration area is empty and the staff are sitting behind the tables, looking bored and eager to assist in printing out your badge. Follow #46DAC on Twitter for updates from the show floor as well.

TSEA HONORS 2009 EXHIBITORS’ CHOICE WINNERS

Posted by the TSEA today:

Chicago, IL - July 23, 2009 – A record number visitors flooded the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) website this year to vote for the First Annual Exhibitors’ Choice Awards. The winners were announced last night at the TSEA Foundation Gala in conjunction with the TS2 show in Chicago, IL. Over 400 exhibit industry professionals came out to the Chicago Illuminating Company to celebrate and cheer on the winners and nominees of the awards.

TSEA congratulates:

Favorite Exhibit House

Winner: Exhibitgroup/Giltspur

Honorable Mention: 3D Exhibits, Skyline

Favorite General Contractor

Winner: Freeman

Honorable Mention: GES

Favorite Installation and Dismantling Company

Winner: Nth Degree

Honorable Mention: Czarnowski

Favorite Transportation/ Freight Company

Winner: TWI

Honorable Mention: Barrett

Favorite of the Rest (all other types of suppliers)

Winner: Exhibit Surveys

Honorable Mention: NMR Staging & Events, United Service Companies

Favorite Show Manager

Winner: Mary Pat Heftman, National Restaurant Association & Karen Chupka, Consumer Electronics Show

Honorable Mentions: Bob Hughes, National Association of Convenience Stores Show & Mary Upton, The ASI Show!

Favorite Show of 2009

Winner: Consumer Electronics Show

Honorable Mention: National Restaurant Association

Favorite Convention City

Winner: Las Vegas

Honorable Mention: Chicago

Best Convention Center

Winner: McCormick Place

Honorable Mention: Las Vegas Convention Center

The TSEA Foundation thanks all the attendees of the Gala and its generous sponsors and participating restaurants for helping make the evening a rousing success. Sponsors of the event include: The Rebedeau Group; 3D Exhibits; Agile Trade Show & Event Furnishings, Inc.; Broan-Nutone, LLC.; Catch the Moment; Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau; EA Logistics; Exhibit Surveys; Freeman AV; Kehoe Designs; Lynn Renee Photography; Morial Convention Center and Metropolitan Limousine. Participating Restaurants included Ari; Carnivale; Fulton Lounge; Tsuki; Tizi Melloul; Lettuce Entertain You Parties & Special Events; Petterino’s; Crepes a Lattee; Wildfire and Scoozi.
About The TSEA Foundation
The Exhibit Industry Education Foundation (also known as the TSEA Foundation), a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, is the research, information and fund-raising foundation for the Trade Show Exhibitors Association (TSEA) benefiting the members of the $124 billion exhibit and event industry comprised of businesses, non-profit associations and for-profit entities that participate in, exhibit at and produce trade shows. It funds specialized research on the exhibit and event industry, provides a variety of workshops, seminars and professional development opportunities and access to specialized research and reference assistance. The Foundation plays a key leadership and advocacy role for the exhibit and event industry and acts as a voice for the sector, articulating the data, reach, impact and contributions made possible through exhibit and event marketing.
The mission of the Exhibit Industry Education Foundation is to support cutting-edge research into the value and efficacy of face-to-face marketing, specifically trade shows, experiential marketing and events. Knowledge gained from this research then provides methodologies and metrics to improve the industry. It includes support of education and awareness by publishing the results of research projects and maximizes the utilization of research results. It also teams with other industry foundations to broaden the scope of research projects.

Summer = Busy Event Season

It can be said that we are in the middle of the summer for the year and with that, comes many events and shows. Some are geared towards the fans and fanatics, some are more towards the industry insiders and supporters, others are for the engineers, and yet some are decision makers and planners themselves.

This week brings us TS2 in Chicago at the great McCormick Place. If you have not heard or been to this show/event, it might be something to look into. Similar to the Exhibitor Show in Las Vegas, TS2 is the who's who of the exhibit and show industry. You will find vendors and suppliers for graphic output like fabric, shipping and logistic companies, AV companies and suppliers, labor and riggin suppliers, Green Intiative companies, industry associations, Lead development and retrieval companies and so much more. There are also many speakers during the week that share their knowledge, insights, stories, and in the worst instances, pitching their business. This event is a great resource for the up and coming tradeshow/event manager or even person who handles these types of programs. You could learn alot here, meet tons of new people, and extend your network. One thing to be careful of though, is quality of information and details. In the past few years, this event has become more of a hang out than educational and informative venue. Yes, there are many of us within the industry that have been around for a while and someone knows someone which can translate to certain groups set ways. Don't be turned off though, like any industry, it takes time to get acclimated and it is stil a great source of information. One person that attended did note though, the halls were a bit empty this year; perhaps a sign of the economic times. I did like how a Tweetup (@ts2show) was coordinated as well and the attraction; a free drink ticket coupon that kept circulating the Twittersphere. Great way to utilize Social Media and communication.

Another huge event that kicks off today, is Comic Con San Diego (@comiccon09). About 6 or more years ago, this tradeshow was quietly dying. It has always had a strong following with the fanboys and true comic junkies and enthusiats. It was a traditional tradeshow and now, it's blown up into something much larger. Ask people who have seen this show grow over the past few years and they will tell you, this is not just a tradeshow anymore, it's a full scale production. Since the movie studios started jumping into creating live action movies based on comic book characters on large scales, Comic Con has become THE place to launch a new movie. Press junkits are put on, screenings, actor/director/producer press panels, trailers are revealed, autograph signings, new toys are shown, posters, the list goes on! The event now attracts A List Hollywood types, photogs and paps, gossip columnists, and an even larger world wide audience. Yes, you still have people dressing up as C3PO or Wonder Woman, but now you have Pokemon running around and a new video game being debuted in their booth. You have Marvel, who used to just have a comic book showing and toys now has everything from merchandise to new movies coming along like Iron Man 2 which is going to be huge. No longer is this a niche and small event, it's a beast. The movie industry truely brought this event back to life. A funny blurb was in last month's issue of Entertainment Weekly Magazine, they had to explain what Comic Con was and why it is important to the movie industry. Mainstream, yup, they are now there.

This week was also the gathering of another group of industry suppliers, vendors, managers, and decision makers; CEMA Summit. The annual event is produced by CEMA (Coporate Event Marketing Association). CEMA (@cemaonline) was originally founded as a group of Computer Electronics Marketing Associates in the heyday of Silicon Valley and it's glory. Of course, we know how semicondutors and that industry is and CEMA realized this. In order to grow and not limit itself, it rebranded and became open to all event and industry related folks. CEMA is a great source of information for many event needs. Exhibit houses, consultants, lead retrieval, software, lighting, pretty much everything is represented here. The great thing about CEMA is, the organization tries to keep a balance of exhibit/event managers and planners and industry suppliers/vendors. They feel in order to be a great resource and organization, more event managers and such should join to utilize the services of the supporting vendor/supplier members. You will find decision makeres from Microsoft, Symantec, HP, Intel, Cisco, and other many more at this event. The venue changes every year as well and is typically in top notch locations (think about it, putting on an event for event planners so it has to be great) with great programs. There are classes, presentations, and more. All inclusive too, which is nice for the price. One thing that can be a turn off, is the clicks that seem to form. There are many that have known each other or worked with each other for years here and tend to mingle with themselves. If you are new, it can be difficult at first but, after day 1you are right in the mix.

Beginning next week in San Francisco is DAC, the Design Automation Conference. DAC is a conference and show at Moscone Center that typically draws in engineers, electronic designers, enthusiats, and more. The show has been at a decent size in the past years and we shall see if the economy has effected the show or not. The conference is the major part of this event/show and is the main draw; not the exhibition floor. The organizers are live blogging as well via Twitter and be followed @46DAC or on Facebook. We will Tweet live from the show Monday as well with show floor observations and buzzes.

Other events/show to note are Cosmoprof North America in Las Vegas, Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, WSA Show, and many more. Check out Tradeshow Week for listings and a great directory and keep checking back here as we highlight various shows and events from around the globe.

SEMICON West & InterSolar NA 09 Recap

As the end of the week came for SEMICON West and InterSolar North America 2009, there are probably many issues, news, standards, products, and more to discuss and debate. There were announcements of new products, introductions of new companies, grumblings from exhibitors and attendees, praises, good days, and bad days. Every circumstance is different and not everyone had a great or bad show this week, but we can say this; the global economy has hit this industry very hard.

From what was a very small show last year and being only part of the West hall at Moscone, InterSolar was the talk of the town. Now 3 levels, a career fair/expo area, classes, presentations, many new products, and a buzz that is sure to roll into PVSEC coming up on September in Hamburg, this show is going to grow yet again in the next 12 months. It was very interesting to see a handful of companies that once were exhibitors on the SEMICON side of the show and now were in the Solar side. Most of these companies decided to pull out of the SEMICON side completely and just participate in InterSolar; which was a shocker at first. But, if you stood back and looked at the situtations, it might have been the smartest moves they made. The SEMICON side is not dying, but it sure is slowing down and if you have technologies or applications that can be utilized in the solar market, why not focus on it? The change of marketing and sales stategy for some such as Obducat, Fraunhofer, MRL Industries, Hitachi, and of course Applied Materials is a great move. Of course, Applied is trying to lead the way and it seems some are following. One main thing about this industry is that it is still in it's infancy stages. There is a lot of standardization, analyzing, and ramp up needed in this sector, but that seems like it will take a few years to get there. In speaking with someone from Intertek, they brought up a good point. It is unknown and testing is not documented; let's go and figure out a way then.

On the SEMICON side, it seems that moral is low. There are some out there who are optimistic and keeping their chins up, but the common theme amongsts many is being in survival mode. If you look at some of the larger companies, more established, leaders in their sector; they have doubts of how the industry is going to be for the rest of the year. I read an analyst report that stated the upturn is going to happen in 2010; I think I read that same report two years ago but with just the dates changed. No one really knows right now when the semiconductor market is going to swing back up, but it is for sure never going to get back to where it was. This is an industry that has changed from once the strong and mighty to the limping and surviving. Maybe we can say the industry is in a tough place right now but will bounce back eventually; it will never go away either. In the next 12 months, it's going to be interesting to see who is going to be around or absorbed. Time will tell.

As a final note of the show logistics, size, and changes, let's look at some comparisions from this year and last. Friday is the first full day of move out and this year, all empty crates were back to exhibitors by the morning. No empties were being brought in that morning and most booths were torn down by end of day. Last year, some booths did not even come down until Sunday. I spoke with a shipping company who finished loading all their freight off the show floor in West hall by 8pm Friday night. Saturday, there was very little freight left on the show floors. In fact, it was mostly Freeman decorating freight. As previous years have shown, freight is still on the floor on Sunday and awaiting pickup. This was a show that once took 3.5 days to move out and now can move out in 2 days. Downsized, you bet. Perhaps the drayage contractor is working faster with the Local 510, maybe it is just less freight, maybe this is how it will be next year.

As SEMICON Taiwan comes up, one must wonder about the future of the global shows on this circuit and what is in store. Another SEMICON is now concluded.

It All Comes To An End, Day Three

As day 3, the final day of SEMICON West and InterSolar NA 2009 started, there were a few questions as to how the day would go. Typically, day 3 of the show is busy in the morning and after lunch, slower but not that bad. Here are a few observations from day 3.

In the North hall, it seemed as if the foot traffic and attendees never made it over there. I spoke with one exhibitor who said they had a great show. They typically have a pop up booth, 10' x 10' stand and they continued with that. One reason why they had a successful show, was that they did pre-show reach out and let customers know where they were going to be. At 2pm today, they still had people in their booth engaged in conversations. Many others in the hall were sitting reading the newspaper, looking at their laptop, or on their mobile. As I walked the aisles, not one person made the effort to jump into my path or try to stop me and get me to speak to them. Not a single person tried to bring me into their booth to even ask me what I was doing at the show or how I was doing. It was that bad today in there. But at the same time, this seemed like the mood in this hall all week. If it were not for the SEMI TechXPOT section in this hall, it would have been a ghost town.

In the breezeway between North and South were a few people taking breaks and relaxing, but not many meetings going on. Sometimes, people have impromtu gatherings at the tables and either talk business or catch up. Not the case this afternoon.

The South hall was not as bad as it could have been. The morning had good foot traffic but once lunch hit, it got quiet. Typically, on the second or third day of the show, many companies in the Bay Area allow their employees who might work in the factory, or in the office, or is an engineer, or someone that typically is not on the tradeshow floor come up for the afternoon. These people usually are noticed by their jeans, t-shirts, company badge still on, and sometimes a backpack or something. But, the sure fire way to tell if someone is up for the day to walk the show; is the free bag from XYZ company, filled with free pens, giveaways, collateral, any free thing that they can get their hands on. But you know what? There were not many of these people around. You usually walk the aisle and run into a person with a large bag filled with these items, taking their time, very slow and looking at everything but you trying to get past them. To my surprise, I saw more analysts still on the floor than these attendees.

The West hall was booming all day. Non stop movement in there, booths are packed still, people are still going up and down the escalators, meetings are still ocurring, it was great. I am really interested to see how the show turns out for next year and how much growth it will take on. There seemed to be a buzz going on in this hall all week and I must say, I was impressed. One person I spoke with today did note something to me though that was a great point. The booths in the InterSolar show seemed to be large and colorful in some places, but they seemed less polished and elegant compared to the SEMICON side. She felt that the Solar booths were not as refined, but that could change. I do believe that the Solar industry itself is very young and still evolving; trying to find it's identity. That will all change in time, just as the SEMICON world did too. (More on that later)

At 3pm, people started packing. Booths were being torn down, equipment was being packed up, people were getting ready for the loudspeaker announcement that the show was over. Empties started coming back qickly and aisle carpet was going up fast as well. But, at 8pm, not many empties were back yet. There were still exhibitors, waiting for crates and boxes for equipment and it did not look like they were getting them anytime soon. With all the onsite space, why did Freeman store the empties in trailers and offsite? Is that a cost, logistical, or space issue? It makes you wonder though, with so much empty space, why waste the OT hours to bring crates off a truck?

I have had numerous discussions this week about what I think is going to happen to SEMICON West, how Taiwan is going to be, and where this show is headed. Along with, how large Solar can get, and who is coming back next year. I do not want to speculate just yet on next year's show, or how this will effect the Taiwan show or just how large InterSolar will be. But, we have to look at when the semiconductor world started exhibiting. SEMICON was a small show once, at a small fairgrounds (San Mateo to be exact) and part of it outdoors. The show then moved into two sites; San Jose and San Francisco and grew to something bigger. It even spanned 5 whole days in two cities then. But when everything came together and was held in San Francisco in all 3 halls, it was at it's max. The point is, it grew over time and now, due to all circumstances, it has gotten to a low point. The show will never go away, it will just change and adapt to the times. SEMICON is like an institution, once great, but now, simple. Solar could possibly eclipse it (no pun intended) but only time will tell. The show is now over, and it will be discussed, analyzed, disected, and criticized, but it is still a show.

More tomorrow from site on the dismantle and activities there. Follow us on Twitter (@inlineonline) as well for live updates and observations.

More Foot Traffic? Day Two

Typically, the second day of the show is the busiest day for attendees and foot traffic in the halls. By lunch, the aisles are getting to be crowded with people carrying large bags full of material and giveaways. Sometimes, they are so packed, you can not even walk in the aisle without getting hit with a bag or backpack. But that was not the case today.

I started in the North hall, heading past a very packed SEMI Theater in the lobby. I have to say, it is a pretty cool theater and good use of space, but it is too small. Who would have thought that the theater, which in the past was a large structure would be that much of a draw. Kudos to SEMI and Freeman for coming up with that one. As I roamed the North hall in search of an elusive former client, I noticed many people in their booths with blank stares on their faces. Some were either surfing the internet or checking their inbox while others were texting or engrossed in their mobile phone/device. Still, there were some who were hopeful and greeted anyone that passed by to try and draw them in. At the same time, there were some booths that did have conversations and demos going. Not everyone in this hall seemd as if they wanted to take a nap, or at least end the show early today.

As I walked over to the South hall, I had forgot to mention that there were some booths in the corridor as well. These were mostly other show organizers and promoters for other events that could be considered crossover or related shows. But, one thing to also note; less benches in the corridor this year and no massage people. The South hall was not too bad today. A decent amount of people in the aisles, some booths were busy and packed while others had the same situations as in the North hall. One person said to me today, "I walked over to South hall and noticed all these smaller guys now, since all the big guys are gone." A very fitting comment for a hall that is filled with many smaller sized booths. I have not seen this many pop up and modular booths in a while at this show.

The main event this year seems to be the InterSolar North America show. This show has grown 3 times in size in 12 months, is drawing large crowds to all floors and corners of the hall, and seems to be buzzing even after the 5pm announcement saying the show is over for the day. The show is now being called "The Largest Solar show in North America." Whether that is true or not, it is a large and good show. Much better than last year in terms of quality exhibitors and focus and the structure and flow is improved. I am curious to see how the show floor is going to look tomorrow and if the traffic is going to be as heavy as it has been. If you get a chance to visit the show; there are some great looking booths and very cool technology being presented.

And last but not least, the parties. What has happened to the large parties that are put on beginning Tuesday night and onto Wednesday night? No more Loomis party; they did away with it last year. How about Applied? Did anyone rent out Jillians this year? Nextest (now owned by Teradyne) had it there and didn't return. I did stroll over to the W Hotel to catch up with Entegris and they had a private event in conjunction with their meeting space and hospitality rooms. Praxair was holding their annual meetings in the hotel and not sure if they had their party as they have been for a few years on the terrace. Honeywell decided not to attend this year and in turn, canceled their party at The Thirsty Bear. But, there are still some that put on an event during the show and keep the party going. Will they did it again next year?

Check back tomorrow for our recap and last day of show report. As always, you can follow our live Tweets and impressions from the show floor in addition to things overheard.

Showtime, Day One

It was the first day of SEMICON West and InterSolar NA 09 and we've got a report all the halls. As normal practice for some, 9am is the time when people start trickling in to setup, clean up, prepare, and get the last minute things done. And of course, there are some that come in at 9am and just start setting up their whole booth. I did notice a decent amount of people on the show floor at 9am gettings things ready in the South hall which was a positive sign.

As I walked the South hall, I did notice less equipment from exhibitors and more virtual displays and graphics. A huge size change for Disco was evident; once a 30' x 40' double deck structure to a 20' x 20' booth. Semitool who once brought two large machines, did not bring any and did not have a custom booth; they rented a modular system. The space that was once occupied by ASML, is now a TechXPot area and seating. Verigy has a decent sized booth that looks pretty good and is a rental booth; great space and design.

In the North hall, traffic was light, aisles were not that crowded, and the same scene; not much equipment on the show floor. Honeywell who once had a 20' x 30' double deck structure is not there either. A few other companies to note that are not in attendance are Oerlikon, K&S, and Rudolph Technologies. It's also good to see that ASML is still supporting the show by doing promotions and advertising in various locations throughout the halls.

West hall and the InterSolar NA show is huge! 3 times the growth from last year, more and larger exhibits, tons of foot traffic and buzz. The hall is packed on all levels and it looks like quality attendees. It even seems like there is more interest and traffic in the West hall than in North and South combined.

I also attended booth assigning with my client this morning and got to see the antcipated floor plans for next year. I was also told that last year, booth assigning was 80% full during the show and over the course of the year, 40% canceled their reservations for one reason or another. That is a staggering number of cancelations and lost revenue. Some exhibitors have even said that they will not come back next year as it is too expensive to be there and others just have not decided yet. The industry is changing again and no longer is it cyclical. It seems the downturn has lasted for years now and everyone is looking for the end of it. More tomorrow from showsite.

I did hear a funny comment from an exhibitor today, "next year, all the semiconductor guys will be over in the West hall at InterSolar since that seems to be the future." Follow us on Twitter as well to see other comments as heard on the show floor.

Final Day Of Move In = Large Aisles

As the final day of move in for SEMICON West and InterSolar North America 2009 started today, a few things of interest are of note. Not many exhibitors were on the floor bright and early at 8am and at the same time, there were still some booths that were not quite finished. We finished setting up our booth (Electroglas, South Hall, 721) in a few hours so I walked to the floor.

You will notice large open spaces in the back corners and sides. In the covered areas closer to the front of the hall, are storage and staging; once packed with exhibitors. The aisles are large, way larger than last year. Normal freight aisles that used to be thin and packed with crates, had plenty of room for forklifts and carts to go back and forth without causing a traffic jam. By 10am, I had noticed Freeman laying out aisle carpet in some areas. Empties were going out fast, very fast. By noon, main aisle carpet was being laid out as well in the back and front of the hall. That was just the South hall and in the North hall, it's not much different. Very wide aisles, lots of empty space on the sides and back which are filled with lounges, seating areas, tables for eating, etc. In the area just between North hall and the Gateway, is empty storage. This used to be packed as well and now, nothing. Also of note, not many companies utilized the stairs or walls for advertising opportunities. Usually, the stairs, sides of the escalators, and other main traffic areas have something, but not this year.

In the West hall, which is dedicated to the hugely popular and growing InterSolar NA show, thigns are much different than North and South. This show used to be one level; it is now three. Huge stands, large areas, equipment, machines, lighting and rigging, and more. I must say, this looks like this will be a great show this year and should keep growing.

Tomorrow is the first day of the show and we will discuss the attendance and participation. It is going to be interesting to see how many will come to the show floor and who did not make the trek this year to the show as an exhibitor. Follow us on Twitter (@inlineonline) as well to get our daily updates from the show floor.

Where Is Everyone?

It is day two of move in for SEMICON West 2009 and there is already many booth structures up and nearly complete. There are a few things of interest to note as well. SEMICON itself is back to where it used to be, just in North and South halls. Intersolar North America is in West hall and none of the SEMICON exhibitors are there this year. With some of the bigger players from previous years not attending this year, there is plenty of open space on the show floor. In the back left corner of the South hall, where ASML usually is, is a wide open space that looks like it will become some meeting area. There are noticeably wider aisles, more space on the sides and back, and less machines. It is a good sign though that some exhibitors did bring their equipment and machines to the show though.

We had some freight being delivered to site today that had to be checked into the marshalling yard before 3pm as it was closing. The truck arrived in the yard at about 1:30pm and by 2pm, the freight was in the booth. This does mean that there are not many trucks delivering sitting in the marshalling yard today; the second full day of move in on straight time. In addition, the marshalling yard closed at 3pm today; not enough trucks to dictate the yard to be open all day. Emtpy docks in the halls as well and not many crates moving around. Granted, much freight had already been delivered and booths were up, but, it's not like how it used to be. With the way things are, it clearly means that participation is down, people are cutting costs on shipping, drayage, labor, and more. The second day of move in used to be busy, hectic even, but not today.

With a quiet second day and the halls calm as well, one must wonder how the attendance will be this year. We'll see how the halls are over the weekend and how many booths will be still going up. We are also curious to see how many more exhibitors arrive today versus Sunday; cost cutting measures? Just a few more days until the show starts!

SEMICON West 09 Is Here

For me personally, SEMICON West is THE show every year. Having been involved within the semiconductor industry for just about 10 years now, this show has always been a highlight of the year for me. It always was the largest show on the SEMI circuit and always brought in the who's who of the industry to San Francisco for a week. This year though, it appears that exhibitor attendance is down on the show floor. The booths are now consolidated into the North and South halls and the Intersolar North America show is now in the West hall on it's own.

Is this a sign of the economic times and has it hit the semiconductor industry that hard? If you look at the floor plan for this year, you will notice some of the usual players aren't participating. ASML who typically has a large booth is not there, ATMI is not exhibiting, Praxair is not on the show floor, and Kulicke and Soffa are not present either. Whether it is the global economy or other strategic reasons, participation at the once huge show is down. At the same time, there are plenty of other companies that feel it is still important and worth the financial expenditure to participate at the show this year.

This year, we will write about our experiences during the week and what we observe on the show floor from setup all the way through dismantle. We want to give a first hand account of what is going on behind the scenes, how installations are going, what exhibitors and vendors are saying, and the moods and demeanors of the show this year. Follow us on Twitter as well at http://twitter.com/inlineonline as we will post throughout the day on what is going on.