ATLANTA – PCB West show attendance rose 20.3% year-over-year, boosted in part by a 22% increase in exhibitors. Conference attendance jumped 31% over 2012 as printed circuit board designers, fabricators and assemblers flocked to the event’s largest technical program in years, said UP MEDIA GROUP, which produces the annual Silicon Valley trade show.

The most popular sessions included common PCB design errors, 3-D IC packaging, and signal integrity.

Overall event registration was up 21% from 2012, UPMG said.

The sold-out show floor featured 84 booths, up from 69 in 2012. Traffic was strong and steady throughout the exhibition, leading exhibitors to laud the event.

“Another great show!” enthused Alex Cox, Western Region sales manager, Leader Tech - Ferrishield. “Kudos to you and your team for knocking it out of the park again.”

First-time exhibitor Bruce Mahler, vice president of Ohmega Technologies, said, “I was very impressed with the professionalism of the staff and operations as well as the quality of the attendees and their general interest level.”

Bill Boyle, vice president of sales and marketing at board fabricator APCT, simply said, “Great show!”

PCB West was held Sept. 24–26 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center and was sponsored by the UP Media Group publications PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB and CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY. It included a three-day technical conference consisting of more than 55 presentations, a one-day exhibition, featuring the PCB industry's leading vendors; and an array of free technical sessions.

Overall, nearly 1,700 printed circuit board designers, fabricators and electronics assemblers, managers and suppliers attended the trade show, UP Media Group said.

"We were thrilled with the reception to this year’s show," said Mike Buetow, editorial director of UP Media Group. "Several sessions topped 90 attendees, and even on the last day, more than 80% of the conference registrants were still attending classes, a reflection of the quality of the program and speakers."

PCB West 2014 will take place Sept. 9-11 at the Santa Clara (CA) Convention Center.