Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/477523
42 The PCB Design Magazine • March 2015 2015 IPC aPeX eXPo show review IPC APEX EXPO 2015: Allow for Serendipity by kelly Dack i-ConneCT007 guesT eDiToR "If Plan A doesn't work, stay cool! The al- phabet has twenty-five more letters…" —Claire Cook, best-selling author and reinven- tion expert Andy Down! At the start of the IPC APEX EXPO, Andy Shaughnessy, managing editor of The PCB De- sign Magazine and my trade show coverage mentor, was horribly under the weather. But while he arrived in San Diego eager to begin reporting and interviews, he was able to cover only a few events before being quarantined by his I-Connect007 team out of fear of being the first media organization to accidently record a lung being coughed up on-cam during an in- terview. Now, while Andy looked and sounded really sick, I don't think he was at all contagious. I spent a good deal of time before the show with him strategizing for some interviews and I even dined with him at a local sushi joint. And even as I write this, days later, I still feel great. Dis- claimer: I do tend to spend a lot of time with Andy at the shows so I've built up plenty of immunity points. Andy asked if I'd submit my show perspective since his was shrouded in a haze of cough remedies. (I hope you are better, my friend!) kelly the Trainer I arrived in San Diego early to join Gary Fer- rari, IPC Master Instructor and co-founder of the Certified Interconnect Designer program, to conduct basic CID training prior to the start of APEX. As the official instructor for the course, Gary was there to not only facilitate review and learning for the students, but to mentor, ob- serve and evaluate me as a candidate for Certi- fied Interconnect Trainer (CIT.) In the months of preparation for this week, I learned a lot about the origins of the subject matter covered in both the CID and CID+ programs. I learned that the material is actively reviewed, updated and taught by a team of highly skilled, highly connected and highly respected IPC certified PCB instructors who double as industry design professionals. I learned that they put in count- less hours of their own time improving the pro- gram and I learned that these folks aren't will- ing to settle for good enough when it comes to course materials and training. The logistics behind the CID & CID+ pro- grams are effectively administered by EPTAC, an IPC-licensed training center. It was easy for me to see that everyone involved in the CID, CID+, and CIT programs plans for success that is very much based upon the success of others. It is up to the students how much time before- hand they put into individual study. The job of the class instructor is to review, discuss and teach the materials and proctor the exam. I was very proud of this basic CID class. My excite- show review