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REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 11 McDonnell, global marketing man- ager for Cogiscan, told me, "IPC APEX 2023 was a big hit for us—the best show in years! Our booth was con- sistently packed with every demo station in use by customers. Our team had meaningful and productive conversations with lots of new contacts and we all left the show energized and excited about what's in store for the rest of the year. This was the best IPC APEX EXPO we have participated in." From attendees, I was pleased to hear acco- lades on technical program offerings, many stating that it was the best conference in years; attendance was at an all-time high in more than a decade. The Technical Program Committee built a strong program with five tracks, 28 sessions, and 104 papers, with peer- reviewed content from 18 countries, detail- ing original research and innovations from industry experts around the world. The paper presenters—international subject matter experts—eagerly shared their knowledge and expertise, and provided attendees with qual- ity technical content not found or presented anywhere else. We are very proud of the Technical Conference and set the bar high for paper submissions. New this year were two special technical sessions, one on advanced packaging pre- sented by IPC's Chief Technical Officer Matt Kelly, and another on e-mobility led by Brian O'Leary of Indium and Jason Schwartz of KYZEN. Both special sessions drew capacity crowds and earned high marks from attend- ees for their thoroughness of content. A highlight each year for me is meeting and interacting with our Emerging Engineers and their mentors. I talked to Emerging Engineers about their career plans and learned what their mentors planned to teach them. I am always inspired when I see engineers from every age group working to build a stronger and more inno- vative industry. Speaking of emerging per- sonnel in our industry, the IPC Education Foundation (IPCEF) hosted its annual STEM outreach event, welcoming a record 550 local high school students for a hands- on experience that allowed them to see, feel, and touch what the electronics industry has to offer. Students participated in edu- cational tracks with a focus on soldering, PCB design, and building circuits. Students learned hand soldering from IPC trainers, talked to exhibitors on the show floor about the varied opportunities a career in electron- ics would provide them, and participated in a career roundtable discussion. The STEM This was the best IPC APEX EXPO we have participated in. Davina McDonnell Cogiscan