209 exhibitors from 25 countries presented solutions and products from the electronics industry at electronica virtual from November 9 to 12, 2020. A total of 8,253 participants from 79 countries gathered information in the virtual exhibition halls and at the four online conferences of the purely digital electronica.
Falk Senger, Managing Director of Messe München, drew a positive conclusion at the end: "electronica virtual clearly demonstrated the great need for technical discussions, knowledge transfer and inspiration in the industry. We have met this need and, after a long time, finally provided the international audience with an industry meeting again. All thanks to digital technologies, which are driven by the electronics industry. But personal contact is irreplaceable. We are therefore already looking forward to seeing you again in person here in Munich."
"We are in the worst recession since the 1930s, but we are optimistic about the future"
Kurt Sievers, President & CEO of NXP Semiconductors: "With the digital format, we were able to use a virtual stage for the first time this year to present our products to a global trade audience and generate leads. This exchange between international companies is of fundamental importance for our industry."
Slight recovery after the corona low
The Covid-19 pandemic led to a significant slump in the electronics industry. However, the industry association ZVEI believes that the downturn has bottomed out for the time being. A positive trend can be seen in the automotive sector in particular in the second half of 2020. Christoph Stoppok, Managing Director of the German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (ZVEI), hopes for further improvement: "We are in the worst recession since the 1930s, but we are optimistic about the future. I am glad that electronica virtual 2020 gave us the opportunity to exchange ideas with the industry, experience innovations and move forward together in a stronger position, regardless of coronavirus-related restrictions."
Facts and figures
electronica virtual also provided a comprehensive overview of technology in digital format. 209 exhibitors from 25 countries presented their innovations in twelve virtual exhibition halls. The exhibition areas included automotive, embedded systems, EMS, semiconductors and wireless. Participants had the opportunity to visit virtual exhibition stands and make direct contact with the companies via the chat function. 52% of the total of 8253 participants (unique users) came from abroad. The top user countries after Germany were (in this order): Austria, Italy, Japan, the UK, Switzerland and the USA. On average, almost 4,500 participants were active on the virtual electronica on each of the four days of the event.
CEO Roundtable
Where is the electronics industry heading in times of Covid-19 and beyond? was the question posed at this year's CEO Roundtable. Jean-Marie Chery (STMicroelectronics), Gunther Kegel (Pepperl + Fuchs), Reinhard Ploss (Infineon Technologies) and Kurt Sievers (NXP Semiconductors) took part in the roundtable discussion. He summarized the current situation: "Covid-19 has led to significant sales losses in the first half of 2020. At the moment, however, it looks as if our industry is coping with this crisis much better than initially assumed, and we can look forward to 2021 with optimism and confidence."
Digital knowledge transfer at conferences and forums
The conference and supporting program recorded more than 16,000 participations in the over 250 presentations of the electronica virtual conference and supporting program. The great popularity underlines the industry's desire to find out about trends and acquire knowledge.
The online conference program covered four major future topics in electronics. The electronica Automotive Conference dealt with topics such as e-mobility and connectivity. The electronica Medical Conference focused on safety and mobile health. Experts discussed machine learning and sensors at the electronica Embedded Platforms Conference. The Wireless Congress dealt with the development of systems and wireless applications in various sectors such as automotive, industry and medicine. Six topic-specific forums also dealt with developments in the areas of cyber security, embedded and IoT, power electronics and printed electronics. The next electronica is planned for November 8 to 11, 2022 in Munich. At the beginning of November 2021, it will be productronica's turn again.
