News

PCIM Europe 2020 Set to go Virtual

April 22, 2020 by Hailey Stewart

PCIM Europe 2020 has cancelled its in-person event and will take place virtually as COVID-19 increasingly spreads across Europe

Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH announced Wednesday morning that it will hold PCIM Europe 2020 digitally from July 7 through July 8, 2020, due to the increasing spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Europe. 

This news comes just more than a month since PCIM (Power Conversion, Intelligent Motion) Europe organizers announced the initial date change from May to July. However, on April 15, the German government had officially prohibited all major German events until August 31, 2020, leaving the Nuremberg-based exhibition and conference to take alternative measures. 

 

Attendees at last year's PCIM Europe. Image courtesy of Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH.

 

According to a PCIM Europe news release, “this virtual format will offer a digital alternative for knowledge transfer.”

Digital formats for the exhibition are currently in development which will still allow for exhibitors and speakers to share information on products, new technologies, and current research topics. The conference portion of the event will take place live with on-demand solutions for interactive presentations. Further information on this implementation will soon be available, according to the news release. 

The conference that brings in more than 12,000 attendees to Nuremberg each year will focus on battery and energy storage, trends in automotive power electronics, and data center power infrastructure solutions.

With more than 500 exhibitors in 2019, this year’s conference was set to showcase exhibitions and programs from companies such as ROHM Semiconductor, Wolfspeed, General Electric, and Volkswagen. Now, these companies will have to pivot to a virtual setting. 

“The health of our exhibitors, visitors, speakers, participants, partners, and employees, is, of course, our top priority," said Petra Haarburger, Managing Director of Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH. "We hope that cancelling the event can make a contribution to further delaying the spread of COVID-19 in Europe so that our everyday lives will gradually return to normality in the near future.“

Mesago Messe Frankfurt GmbH still plans for PCIM Europe 2021 to take place in Nuremberg from May 4 through May 6. 

For PCIM Asia 2020, organizers still plan for the conference and exhibition to take place from July 1 through July 3 in Shanghai, according to a news release in early April. Similar to PCIM Europe, PCIM Asia will showcase a wide range of technologies in power electronics and their applications in drive technologies and power quality.

PCIM Asia organizers have implemented extensive safety and hygiene measures to ensure the health of those at the fair. 

 

EE Power will continue to update any information regarding PCIM Europe and this year’s digital format as it becomes available.