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REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 157 members and industry experts new to our standards activities from around the world were able to sit down and share a table in a face-to-face environment. Teleconferencing is a great tool, but as many committee mem- bers have reported, looking someone in the eye as you discuss a technical topic is what helps bring projects to life and gives them a different energy. A-Teams Formed New topics and ideas introduced during these standards development meetings often lead to new actions, and this held true. We formed small groups called A-Teams, which are dedicated to working a specific topic or action. These groups are vital to the overall progress of task group work. With names such as Sticky Squad, Mis- sion Inkpossible, and Team Champagne, these groups are vital to the overall progress of the work and the team members will spend countless hours over the coming months pre- paring data and input for task groups to review at future meetings. TAEC Reviews Projects From a leadership perspective, the Technical Activities Executive Council Global met to review over a dozen proposed projects, many of which demonstrated a strong interest in pursuing revisions of existing standards and committing resources to new projects. The group also discussed outreach-related topics, including how to engage industry and how to improve standards development meetings through education, training, and awareness. For many attendees, this was their first time experiencing standards development meet- ings. Nearly every task group fielded requests from new members who wanted to be added to group rosters, and in many cases, these new voices quickly jumped in to participate in technical discussions. This high level of engagement bodes well for the continued growth of IPC's standardization activities. New Committee Awards IPC APEX EXPO 2023 also marked the intro- duction of our new committee leader and volunteer awards. The Hillman-Lambert Award for Committee Volunteer of the Year went to both Michael Ford of Aegis Soft- ware and Christina Rutherford of Honeywell Aerospace. The Goldman-Kessler Award for Committee Leader of the Year went to Bob Cooke of NASA's Johnson Space Center. A Time to Celebrate Finally, no IPC face-to- face standards develop- ment meeting would be complete without a few celebrations to mark the release of new documents. IPC treated several groups, including the 7-31f task group working on IPC/WHMA-A-620, to cake, cookies, muffins, and other delicious snack foods. IPC also celebrated all groups who completed projects in the past year with an evening social gathering. At the end of the week, the task group mem- bers closed the book on IPC APEX EXPO 2023 and made plans to see each other at SummerCom 2023 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For standards development groups, there are no "goodbyes" or "farewells" at the end of a show; instead, they say, "See you next time." S&T Teresa Rowe is senior director of assembly and standards technology at IPC.