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160 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2024 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE The move from San Diego to Anaheim is not the only thing that was new at this year's IPC APEX EXPO. The show also featured new and expanded opportunities to learn, connect, exhibit, and contribute to our industry's col- lective mission of building electronics better. Here are my top 10 highlights from a non- technical perspective as IPC's lead on global government relations. It's rewarding to work for an organization that gives me so many great things to talk about when educating policymakers about our industry. 1. Robust international presence: This year, APEX EXPO also hosted the 16th Electronic Circuits World Convention (ECWC16), drawing in more experts, researchers, and professionals from the electronics field worldwide. ECWC is held every three years in different cities and countries and provides a shared space for information sharing on global PCB demand and manufacturing processes. It was a privilege to host ECWC16, but the increased global presence wasn't entirely associated with it. IPC's growing engage- ment in Europe has led to greater European participation in APEX EXPO, including its technical program and standards meetings. 2. EMS Leadership Summit: IPC's Mark Wolfe and Tracy Riggan once again put together a stellar program featuring top- notch speakers on a variety of topics, including industry forecasts, supply chain management, performance indicators, government relations, and workforce development. The summit attracted many fresh faces, including a larger num- ber from Europe. In the morning, Dieter Weiss of in4ma provided an insightful, data-rich overview of the European EMS industry, which wowed everyone I spoke to about it. It's fair to say Dieter eclipsed the solar eclipse, which occurred during his presentation. My Top 10 Takeaways From IPC APEX EXPO 2024 Show Review by Chris Mitchell