Looking Ahead to Electronica’s First Digital Showcase

Electronica, a biennial power electronics industry tradeshow in Germany, is bringing its 2020 event online later this month. The four-day event, held Nov. 9 to Nov. 12, will feature topical forums and over 200 international electronics exhibitors, including Analog Devices, NXP Semiconductors, Samsung Semiconductor and STMicroelectronics. 

The event is organized by German event company Messe München GmbH, which runs around 50 industry-specific trade shows. The 2018 electronica conference, held in Munich Nov. 13–16, drew 81,471 visitors from 101 countries and 3,124 exhibitors from 53 countries. 

Electronica 2020 will be held virtually from Nov. 9 to Nov. 12. (Image via Messe München GmbH)

 

Due to travel restrictions in Europe and rising COVID-19 cases worldwide, Messe München opted to move the program online for the first time. 

“Even though an in-person trade fair could have been conducted with the help of our safety and hygiene concept, the latest developments related to travel restrictions in many countries forced us to rethink our plans,” Messe München Managing Director Falk Senger stated in the announcement. “We are adapting these plans to this dynamic situation and are now focusing solely on our virtual format. International exhibitors and visitors are the heart of electronica. In light of current Covid-19 conditions, we would not have been able to meet the expectations with an in-person trade fair.”

Throughout the four-day event, exhibitors will be organized into tradeshow booths with product videos and presentations, contact information, product user areas and a discussion forum.

Other sessions will be recorded live on the electronica’s event platform. Attendees can submit questions to the speakers through a chat and Q&A feature. 

One of the highlights of electronica 2020 is the CEO Round Table, held on Nov. 10. During the event, STMicroelectronics President and CEO Jean-Marc Chery, Infineon CEO Reinhard Ploss, NXP Semiconductors CEO Kurt Sievers and Pepperl + Fuchs CEO Gunther Kegel will discuss how the electronics industry can evolve through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The schedule also includes electronica’s third Fast Forward Award program, including 20 international startups with technologies ranging from a peer-to-peer energy sharing system to a thin wireless charger for smartphones to limited-edition electric motorcycles to vibration energy harvesting technology. The winner will receive a free stand at electronica’s next event in 2022, plus a marketing package at a €75,000 value.

 

The virtual entrance room for the electronica 2020 conference. (Image via Messe München GmbH)

 

Attendees can access the main trade show for free. 

Sub-Conference Events

Ticket prices vary for these events. 

• The electronica Automotive Conference (or eAC), held Nov. 9, will include discussions on e-mobility and connectivity with representatives from Audi, STMicroelectronics, Mektec, Google, Amazon Web Services and other industry giants.
• The electronica Medical Electronics Conference (eMEC), held Nov. 9–10, will feature discussions around medical technology, innovations in manufacturing, AI-supported imaging, smart assistants for homecare applications, intelligent implants, security, and mobile health monitoring, and more. Speakers hail from GE Healthcare, Maxim Integrated, Texas Instruments, and other industry leaders. 
• An Embedded Platforms Conference (Nov. 11–12) will feature experts from Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, Infineon, Accenture, ON Semiconductor, Phoenix Contact, Qualcomm and Würth Elektronik discussing machine learning and sensor technologies. The event includes four tracks: Embedded ICs and boards, sensors and IoT, machine learning and artificial intelligence, and software and tools.
• The Wireless Congress (Nov. 10–12) will cover 5G, networking topics, AI in communication networks, the use of advanced wireless systems in different industry sectors, and more.