Every conceivable application of light in science and industry will be on display at Photonex, according to Laurence Devereux, the exhibition’s organiser. The show will be held at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire, UK, on 17 and 18 October. ‘With so many innovations in recent years, photonics has been brought into common use and this is reflected in the product range on show,’ he said.
Exhibitor numbers are up on last year, with some 20 new companies registered so far. Among them are Anglia Instruments, BSRL, ISM Electronic, and Photek from the UK. There is interest from new exhibitors outside the UK also: CeramOptec; Cotec GmbH; Judson Technologies; tec5; and WZW Optic. The latter is known, at the Laser Munich event, for providing free beer from its stand. Apparently, however, it has decided on a more conventional approach for the Photonex Exhibition.
The growing interest in industrial applications of lasers will be reflected at Photonex with, for example, Laser SOS exhibiting its laser marking system. Interest in ultra fast fibre lasers, and applications in biophotonics, will be highlighted by the presence of Fianium, exhibiting for the first time at Photonex.
However, Devereux believes that an added attraction is the accompanying programme of meetings and discussion-forums: ‘We have a superb activity to interest visitors and provide them with opportunities for continuing professional development.’ The programme includes: five meetings organised by the optics group of the UK’s Institute of Physics; a high-level European meeting on ‘Innovations in Imaging’ organised by SPIE Europe; and vision seminars from UKIVA.
Networking events, such as an executive panel discussion, will also take place. A panel of five senior executives from the industry is set to discuss the photonics market and what is going on in the industry, under the moderation and chairmanship of SPIE Europe. For those who favour intellectual as well as physiological sustenance, there will be high-profile lunch-time speakers.
The integrated 'Imaging Science' event, which has been part of Photonex for seven years, has been re-named ‘MVIS’ (Machine Vision and Imaging Sciences) reflecting the growing importance of machine vision equipment and components at the show.
Consequently, the organisers expect a 15 per cent increase in visitor numbers over last year, as a result both of the added attractions and of strong industry support for the event.
