ORLANDO -- SMTA and IPC will colocate their respective fall trade shows next year.

The announcement was made by SMTA president Bill Barthell and IPC president John Mitchell this morning at the SMTAI trade show here.

The associations have been sponsoring competing events -- SMTA with SMTAI, IPC with IPC Midwest -- for several years. IPC's show takes place in the Chicago suburbs each September, while the SMTA event has rotated among Orlando, Ft. Worth and San Diego each October.

The two trade groups have been under pressure from members for years to combine the show, but have been at odds over how to proceed.

A new administration at IPC, however, has overcome previous objections to colocating the respective events, each of which draws roughly 800 to 1,200 attendees. The agreement for the combined event runs through 2015.

Next year's colocated event, which as of this writing will retain the respective brands, will feature an exhibition, technical conference and IPC standards committee meetings.

SMTAI attendees who spoke to CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY seemed pleased by the development, which will help trim their respective trade show budgets.

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