Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493016
REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE I I-CONNECT007 123 fewer "sales pitches" disguised as research papers, it seems easier for attendees to find the actionable research. I had the honor of interviewing three of the five Best Technical Paper awardees, and my impression from those interviews was these awards were well deserved. I hope these new criteria will become the Technical Confer- ence norm. • Networking: Mentioning COVID and per- sonal interaction in the same sentence is becoming a bit cliché, but there's truth to it. We've learned (or relearned, perhaps) the value of connecting with people in person, with the important role that presence plays in our communications. The attendees at IPC APEX EXPO this year, whether on the show floor, in the sessions upstairs, or at social gatherings, were all that: present, communi- cating, exchanging information, and forging new relationships with colleagues. • Awards: The committee awards portfolio received a complete overhaul for the 2023 conference. The two key modifications were to reduce the number of awards and to take nominations from committee participants. These changes raised the cachet of the awards not only by making an award more elusive to obtain, but also more legitimate thanks to the peer selection process. • San Diego: After this year, IPC APEX EXPO will submit a change of address form, moving from San Diego to Anaheim. Simultaneously, APEX EXPO will take place later in the spring. Truthfully, I don't have any insight into what changes IPC Events has in mind for the 2024 installment (as if a new location isn't change enough) but to my eye, the IPC APEX EXPO program is evolving in just the right ways. The entire I-Connect007 team will see you next year. S&T Abby Wise: Committee Central Abby Wise is part of the IPC Emerging Engineer Program and offers her view of what it's like to sit in committee meet- ings. She is employed as a manager of Z Quality Engineering at IBM Corporation. Abby, you're in the Emerging Engineer program, and this is your first time at a committee meeting. What's your impres- sion? And why is this important? I'm seeing all the different people raise their hands and what I see is people who know each other. But there are a lot of different people who look like they're coming from different backgrounds, a lot of different experiences, a lot of differ- ent companies. They all recognize that getting in a room together and feeling comfortable to raise their hand and voice opinions on something that they're an expert on is important. Why do you think this is important to the industry? To make sure there's a common set of values that everyone strives for. To make the best products. If you have a group of really smart people, they're going to come up with an even smarter answer.