Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1202019
54 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2020 days but never see the ocean. This year, I'll see it every day, so that's new. I also decided to do something different regarding the buzz ses- sions, which were free to expo attendees and people that come to the technical conference, but they were a bit outside of the technical conference because they were unconventional topics. I still wanted there to be free content that people who come to the expo floor can take part in because there are a lot of big ideas in our industry that we want to discuss with ev- eryone. So, I'm calling the area near the out- door terrace and where you would come into the technical conference "the intersection." It's a meeting place. We're going to have couches so that you can have a conference call while looking at the ocean in a comfy seat. Then, we're going to have sessions nearby there that we'll call "sessions at the intersec- tion." This could be at the intersection of two different organizations, between what's hap- pening on the show floor and what's happen- ing in the technical conference, or of engineer- ing and business. Those sessions will focus on bringing two worlds together and talking about the challenges that we face and some solutions for them. Again, I want to respin it and make it feel new and encourage more in- teraction. Technical conferences are awesome, but when the conversation is only going in one direction from the speaker to the audience, en- gagement is limited. The goal is to have more interactive sessions. Johnson: You're going to have speakers act as a subject-matter expert on a topic. Do you want attendees to come prepared? If so, how? Sandy-Smith: Yes. With the panel discussions that I've done in the past, the most compel- ling moments were questions from the audi- ence that maybe the person who asked them thought it was a simple question or something that you already know. But someone with new eyes to the industry often brings a fresh take on what we're doing. Those questions are so insightful and get the conversation started, es- pecially when half of the rest of the room was thinking the same thing. Those engagements are where you get to the heart of the matter. That's where you find the solution when some- one says, "You said this, but it doesn't make sense because I'm doing this in my real life." Johnson: Those are the great moments. Sandy-Smith: And it's not just about the ex- perts' opinions or having people who've been in the industry for 30 years share their exper- tise. I want new engineers to have a place to let those thoughts out, have conversations, and get them the information they need right up- front without waiting; I want to increase inter- action so that they can get more information. Johnson: It could cause somebody to decide to go hear about those topics. There's an element of initial engagement. In this short video, Brook San dy- Smith, IPC's technical con ference pro- gram manager, ex plains how "the lnter- section" will be a new meeting place In between the show floor and the techni- cal conference available to attendees and the free ses sions that are open to any registration type. (Source: IPC) Sessions @ the Intersection