Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1339822
30 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2021 with a situation, as many other organizations have over the last year in dealing with COV- ID-19, but that hasn't stopped us in any way from putting together a really strong technical program. In fact, hearing early comments from people who have viewed the program—that this is one of the strongest that we have had in some time—is really positive. e event is obviously going to be different from the standpoint that people won't be in person. We won't have the handshakes and the hellos in the hallway. But if you want to get a really strong sense of what's happening in the industry across all the topic areas that Matt and I discussed, you'll have it with the techni- cal conference. An added benefit compared with in-person events is that if you have to decide between two presentations or sessions that are running simultaneously during the conference, you won't miss out on any of the content. Regis- trants will be able to access their technical ses- sions on-demand following the conference. Kelly: Well said, Chris. I fully agree, and it's why we spent so much time on the content. We realized that people are going to be sitting at their desks, probably at home, and the mea- sure's going to be whether they are interested in tuning into that particular topic. If it's good and new and relevant to them, then they're go- ing to tune in. In person, we'd have everyone's time sequestered for the week in San Diego where we get their full attention; now, there's going to be a lot of distractions. We ultimately have to draw them into the content, so I fully agree with Chris. Also, as IPC's new chief technologist and new to IPC, I'm really excited about how much IPC is investing in the future. I want people to walk away from this conference realizing that we're very serious about IPC being the go-to association to help companies transform and modernize. is goes beyond the conference and this is not going to stop. e programming that we have at IPC APEX EXPO will be an ex- ample of that, but it will also come through in the work that Chris and the team does with the standards organization as well. Jorgensen: ere's definitely more to come. Kelly: is is the beginning. Jorgensen: is is not a "Factory of the Future buzz word thing" that we wanted to do just this year for IPC APEX EXPO. As Matt said, Fac- tory of the Future thinking and modernization is going to shape pretty much everything IPC does moving forward. Johnson: Extremely informative and insightful. ank you. e technical conference looks to be living up to its hype! PCB007