Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1454922
42 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2022 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE Happy's Thoughts By Happy Holden I-CONNECT007 e attendance at this year's IPC APEX EXPO seemed higher than I expected, so thank you all for making the necessary arrangements to attend. However, we sorely missed many of our foreign contributors and friends. I repeatedly heard this well-worn phrase, "It's good to see everyone again!" I agree. It was good to see so many friends—both renewing former acquaintances and making new friends. I enjoyed several conversations, many of them technical, about the current state of the industry, how we feel about masks and COVID, and what we can expect to see in the coming year. One of my cherished reunions was with Pete Starkey, who fought through the red tape of government restrictions to make his way from England for the show. Both of us were able to help conduct inter- views with many of the industry's business and technical leaders. For that, I am grateful. I also want to thank I-Connect007 for invit- ing me to participate with them, and for taking extra safety precautions so that I would be able to return home and not bring back any virus to my wife. ankfully, I made it through seven days without an incident. I also want to mention our "data angel" Amanda Gustafson, a contractor from Con- vention Data Services, who oversaw the reg- istration for IPC. She was fast, efficient, and took loving care of us. As for the show, what can I say but it was beyond expectations. I thoroughly enjoyed the keynotes from John Mitchell and David Pogue, the latter of whom chose the appropriate topic of "disruptive tech" and how it will affect your business. Be sure to read the reports and inter- views regarding Pogue's presentation here in this magazine. I thought John's talk was inspiring and truly covered the needs and challenges our indus- try faces. I hope those who listened will take action. However, it had a heavy focus on elec- tronics assembly and was weak on substrate fabrication, where I feel there is a dire need for some support.