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12 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2020 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE by John Mitchell IPC—ASSOCIATION CONNECTING ELECTRONICS INDUSTRIES Every year at IPC APEX EXPO is unique, and 2020 was no exception. Not only were we cel- ebrating our 20 th APEX, but we offered many new ways for attendees to get the most out of their experience, including the Fundamentals Program, Sessions @ the Intersection, more professional development courses than we've ever provided, a robust technical education program, and the exceptional committee work to create, edit and implement IPC standards. IPC APEX EXPO 2020 welcomed 9,000 pro- fessionals from 45 countries and hosted 493 exhibitors utilizing the entire show floor space to make this the largest event for electronics manufacturing in North America. We are very proud of this show and being recognized by the Tradeshow News Network (TSNN) as the fastest-growing association show for attend- ance in the U.S. for the years 2016–2018. Our Fundamentals Program, created for newcomers and anyone interested in a broader view of electronics manufacturing, included presentations on tribal knowledge, circuit board design, PCB fabrication, and much more led by subject-matter experts eager to share their knowledge with newcomers to IPC APEX EXPO. The program was very well-attended, and we look forward to building on that suc- cess next year. Sessions @ the Intersection offered free ses- sions on industry topics that intersect business and engineering or two industry organizations, providing a platform for discussion on issues such as a session on why your supply chain needs diversity (in conjunction with WBENC), e-textiles developments, or semi-additive pro- cesses for building circuits, to name a few. IPC APEX EXPO is a forum for ideas and new ways for generations to connect—some- thing that is so important as we look to the future of our industry. Just seeing all the faces of our new emerging engineers—we have 30 in this year's class, up from four last year—along with the high school students who attended our packed STEM event, was something I thor- Elevating the Excellence of Electronics at IPC APEX EXPO 2020