Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1355791
10 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2021 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE can quite literally take advan- tage of all the sessions and vir- tually visit any exhibitor over the next several weeks. e participation by indus- try was excellent and we expect there will be continued participation aer the show has completed. ere were a couple of hiccups as some ses- sions took a few minutes to get up and running, but in the end they all worked and the whole conference was a success. We also added daily video updates to let attendees know what was happening each day. is year's format allowed us to enjoy some of the creativity of the industry with each of the award winners providing video accep- tances. Two specifically come to mind from the Tuesday Awards Luncheon—Audra ur- ston and Jan Pederson. Very creative submis- sions, allowing for a deeper connection even though we are thousands of kilometers apart. ere were congratulations and comments in the chat feature of the platform, bringing us all closer together to not only celebrate the won- derful accomplishments of our global mem- bership, but to cheer each other on. While we could not offer the hands-on STEM event that the IPC Education Foun- dation hosts at APEX EXPO, we replaced it with a virtual event, "Build Your Future," that included a panel of engineers and busi- ness leaders providing detailed information on the benefits of a career in electronics. It was very well attended, and I was thrilled with the number of questions from high school and col- lege students eager to learn about a career in electronics. We continue to reach out to the next gen- eration of engineers, particularly with the IPC Emerging Engineers program, which shows an increase in participation each year. Our session on "Forgotten Tribal Knowledge" included two Hall of Famers—Bob Neves and Don Dupriest—sharing their considerable expertise with an eager audience. In addition to the educa- tional content and networking opportunities, we launched the ESG for Electronics initia- tive to develop guidance for electronics manufacturers on an industry-specific approach to ESG (environmental, social and governance) prac- tices and reporting, and to develop aspirational goals that the industry is working together to achieve. We are engaging electronics industry leaders and ESG experts to provide guidance on key aspects of reporting that demonstrate commit- ment to ESG principles. As this is an ongoing effort, I encourage even more companies to get involved. I hope attendees will take a few minutes to fill out the evaluation survey they will receive, as it will help guide us for future events. One of the key questions is around what kind of event we will hold in 2022. Obviously, we are planning to have the traditional face-to-face meeting, but should it be hybrid at the same time? Should we offer the courses digitally for 90 days aer the event? We are looking for the industry to guide us as we plan for an exciting return to see one another! APEX EXPO is usually one of the busiest weeks of the year for IPC; this year, that was true as well, it was just a different kind of busy. We are truly grateful to the dedicated attend- ees, speakers and exhibitors for sharing their time, their expertise, and their ability to pivot and adjust to a complete change in venue to help us make the first virtual IPC APEX EXPO a success. Frankly, I can't wait until next year. I really miss my interactions with everyone live! IPC APEX EXPO 2022 will be held at the San Diego Convention Center from Jan 22-27. For more information, visit www.ipcapexexpo.org. S&T John Mitchell