February 2, 2009--Despite the daily bad news on our worldwide economy, official SPIE (Bellingham, WA) Photonics West 2009 attendance figures surprised everyone. The attendance count was 17,903 at the end of the week-long event (as of the afternoon of Thursday, January 29), compared to last year's total of 17,440.
Most of the people I spoke with said that although traffic seemed lighter at the exhibit booths, companies were surprised at the good quantity of high-quality leads. There was a general consensus that the negative picture for our economy cannot stop photonics innovation from continuing at a brisk pace; unlike previous bubbles and recessions, there is a "hubrus" regarding the importance of photonics in our daily lives, and a quiet understanding that WHEN the economy recovers, photonics will emerge stronger than ever.
Many companies and academic institutions seemed to ignore the bad news and look for the upside potential in the photonics industry. Laser Focus World and Industrial Laser Solutions captured these sentiments in several videos that can be found by selecting the VIDEO link at the top of the Laser Focus World home page. Or, click the link here for the Photonics West review video. In addition to conference information from Laser Focus World chief editor Steve Anderson and Industrial Laser Solutions chief editor David Belforte, the video also highlights some Photonics West exhibits, including a unique micro projector and the latest advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology.
--Posted by Gail Overton, gailo@pennwell.com.
And for a complete Photonics West review and more first-hand and originally reported business news in the optoelectronics and photonics industry, please subscribe to Optoelectronics Report at www.optoelectronicsreport.com, the twice-monthly eNewsletter from the editors at Laser Focus World and BioOptics World that covers both national and international business news and market trends and tracks technology advances to interpret their business implications.
