It’s the time of year when many of us look back over the past 12
months, reflect on events that have occurred and begin our preparations
for the upcoming year. It has been a particularly interesting year for
UP Media Group and for me.
It is certain that 2008 holds much promise. On the personal side, as we
come into December, I will pass the 18-month mark in my tenure with UP
Media Group. I’m no longer the “new kid.” Time has literally flown by.
Despite spending my entire career in the PCB industry, I am entering
2008 with a much better understanding of the challenges designers and
fabricators face in this rapidly changing environment. I thank you all
for your contributions to my education this year; it has been great. I
hope to continue to provide my insights on the issues within our
industry in the months and years to come.
Change is a given. Being proactive in a changing environment is the
difference between the leaders and the followers. In the past six
months, UP Media Group,
Printed Circuit Design & Fab and a number
of other UPMG properties have undergone some significant changes. These
proactive changes are part of a series of definitive actions that have
been undertaken with the intent to better serve our readership and
marketing partners.
With the support of a very creative production and marketing staff, we
have changed the name of the magazine and revitalized the PC Fab brand
with the launch of our new name,
Printed Circuit Design & Fab. From
the many discussions I have had over the past few months, it seems like
this change is welcome and brings the design and fab communities closer
together.
The PCB Design Conferences are moving and growing as we enter 2008. The
new brand for these conferences is simply PCB Shows. As we move into
the latter part of the decade, PCB Shows will add a number of smaller
regional events to the annual two-show program, addressing the need for
educational excellence at the local level throughout the U.S.
We are also expanding the program to address some of the critical up
and downstream topics important to the PCB supply chain, from the
design seat through fabrication and into assembly. To the traditional
topics of high-speed, HDI and EMC design, we have already added new
tutorials to address DfM and DfA topics, including final finishes and
laminate materials. We look to designers, fabricators, assemblers and
the supply base to help us keep this program fresh and educational for
our technical audience. Papers, tutorials and workshops are sought on
these and other topics that affect the PCB supply chain for the
upcoming
PCB East in May in Chicago. Go to pcbeast.com for more
information on how to make a presentation or attend the conference.
Some the biggest advances with the magazines and newsletter involve the
next big publishing trend: digital enhancement. Last month, we
introduced a rich media digital version of
PCD&F. We invite all our
subscribers to give the new format a try. If you currently receive the
magazine in printed form, you can register on our Web site to receive
the digital version for a three-month evaluation. I think you will like
the features this media affords, such as embedded video capabilities
and other more interactive message delivery enhancements.
In November, we ramped our
PCB UPdate e-newsletter to daily from
weekly. The newsletter, which covers the design, fab and assembly
industries, is an “opt-in” publication. If you don’t subscribe, you can
do so by going to pcbupdate.com/subscribe. PCB UPdate is your first
stop for all the PCB industry news and commentary.
Perhaps the most exciting of our new products for 2008 is Virtual PCB,
a two-day, online trade show and conference. Set for Feb. 12-13,
Virtual PCB is an interactive, online event that will feature a trade
show and technical seminars. Over the course of the live show,
attendees will be able to watch Webinars and other technical
presentations and have free access to leading industry suppliers and
their products – all live and in real-time. The event will then be
archived for viewing for three months, during which time all the
exhibitor materials and tutorials will remain available. This digital
opportunity is not intended to replace a traditional trade show, but it
will provide an opportunity for immediate, lower-cost access to
information about new products and processes. And it will reach a wider
group of industry professionals who may not travel to shows. For more
information, visit virtual-pcb.com.
Change is inevitable. Managing change and shaping it into a positive
force takes vision. In the upcoming year, UP Media Group will continue
to be the industry leaders by bringing our vision alive through our
media products. We look forward to sharing that vision with you.
Wishing all of our readers a safe and joyful holiday season and happy and prosperous New Year.
