By Ron Iscoff, Editor
Anaheim, Calif.-An aging and debilitated NEPCON Conference, trying to make a new name for itself as EtroniX, suffered the double whammy of bad weather and a sluggish economy at its February 27-March 1 presentation. Billed by its sponsors as "the new six-shows-under-one-roof event for electronics manufacturers," visitors to the Convention Center venue were greeted by unseasonably heavy downpours and a show floor that looked nothing like its predecessors. This year, sponsor Reed Exhibition Companies (REC), opted for co-locating Design Expo, MP International, e/manufacturing, EvaluTech, NEPCON and WESCON under one roof-to a lack of attendee enthusiasm. One technical session leader told Chip Scale Review that while his session attracted 19, including himself, only three were paying registrants-while the rest were speakers. "This, from what I know, pulled the largest attendance of any of the sessions that day," he said. Superstructures Gone Gone this year were the multiple story superstructures of such giants as Cookson, Nordson, Philips and Siemens, who defected to the IPC-run APEX show in January. After the 1999 NEPCON, the larger equipment makers abandoned the REC show en mass, citing its $38 square foot exhibit fees. A reduction in REC's prices to match APEX's $19 square foot came too late to squelch the exodus. Exhibits Organized by Technology Traffic on the compact show floor this year was sporadic-heavy at times-but much lighter most of the time than exhibitors had counted on. A plus at EtroniX was the organization of exhibit booths by major industry segment. REC has set February 24-28 for next year's EtroniX in Anaheim, with the exhibits scheduled for February 26-28.
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