In a year when 200 such events are scheduled, Tradeshow Week magazine selected SEMI NanoForum as one of the top five major nanotechnology conferences of 2004. According to a March 8 article, SEMI NanoForum earns the high placement because the conference is one of the only nanotechnology events backed by a global industry organization with large-show experience. An industry-leading publisher of tradeshow information and exposition news, Tradeshow Week tracks trends, marketing and statistical data of nearly 5,000 events annually.
The top ranking comes just as SEMI opens registration for NanoForum 2004, the first international conference to bring together key decision makers and technical experts from the semiconductor equipment and materials industry and the nanotechnology world. The event, which will be held November 14-17 in Austin, Texas, is produced by SEMI, which represents more than 2,200 semiconductor equipment and materials companies whose combined products and services contribute more than $65 billion to the world economy.
According to Lux Capital, a prominent nanotechnology venture analyst firm, the semiconductor equipment industry, which has been engineering equipment for production of nanoscale technology for the past 20 years, will be one of the first sectors to profit from nanotechnology. SEMI created NanoForum 2004 to offer a much-needed forum for semiconductor businesses and nanocompanies to exchange ideas and information and to address practical issues relating to bringing nanotechnology applications into real-world production. More than 500 participants are expected, with representatives from markets including defense, telecom, transportation, automotive, information technology, medical, biotech and consumer.
“SEMI NanoForum has captured the attention of key players from both sectors. It is a great opportunity for businesses to get together, build relationships and develop market strategies,” said Ellery Buchanan, the conference chairman and chief executive officer of NanoVance, Inc., a prime contractor for MEMS and nanotechnology devices. “Our focus at SEMI NanoForum is business. Presentations will focus on current market opportunities, and discussions will be practical not theoretical. Everyone who realizes the potential that nanotechnology applications hold for the marketplace should be there.”
SEMI NanoForum 2004 will include three days of speaker sessions, meetings and workshops that will facilitate the exchange of both strategic and technical perspectives between representatives. More than thirty industry leaders have already signed on to speak at the conference, including Larry Bock, co-founder and executive chairman of Nanosys, Inc.; Mark Pinto, senior vice president of New Business and New Products Group for Applied Materials, Inc.; Dr. James Carney, senior principal staff engineer of Biomedical Sensors for Medtronic, Inc.; and Dr. George Atkinson, science and technology advisor to U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
In support of SEMI NanoForum 2004, a number of companies have enlisted as corporate sponsors, including Winstead Sechrest & Minick, a full-service law firm that provides legal services to businesses and individuals, and Loomis Group, an independent, integrated marketing agency. Conference partners include AeA, European NanoBusiness Association, International SEMATECH, NanoBusiness Alliance, Small Times magazine and the Texas Nanotechnology Initiative.
To register, call 408.943.6901 or visit http://www.semi.org/nanoforum. To enlist as a sponsor, call Terry Berke at 512.241.4070.
