If you need to find out about new sensor and instrumentation products or want news on the latest technologies, then a visit to Sensors & Instrumentation 2013 is essential. Rachael Morling explains why.
In my 14 years working on industrial business to business titles, I have seen exhibitions come and I have seen exhibitions go. I have attended huge shows at exhibition centres featuring hundreds of exhibitors where you get lost walking from one stand to another; and smaller, more intimate, events at venues such as museums where you get the chance to talk to practically everyone.
So what really makes an exhibition work, and does it depend on what you want to get out of your day there? After all, if you’re looking for a specific solution for an application surely it is a good idea to go to a dedicated exhibition where you will find as many suitable products as possible in one place?
It seems that the organisers of Sensors & Instrumentation (formerly Sensing Technology) have got the formula just right.
Meeting demands
There were a number of reasons why Sensing Technology was created back in 2010. Exhibitions featuring sensors and instrumentation were on the wane, and those that were still about were merging to become a small part of other events that were taking place. Despite this, however, the sensors market was growing – the number of applications featuring sensors and other similar instrumentation was increasingly dramatically year on year. Think, for example, of the automotive industry. Not only are sensors used throughout the production and testing of vehicles, but each new car being produced is filled with sensors and other forms of instrumentation. In fact sensors are now used widely throughout almost every sector you can think of – food and beverage, pharmaceutical, aerospace, to name just a few.
If you’re looking for a specific solution for an application, surely it is a good idea to go to a dedicated exhibition where you will find as many suitable products as possible in one place?”
The sensors market remained relatively buoyant even during the tough recession we faced recently, which shows that demand was there. But, there was nowhere for specifiers and users to visit to see a wide range of such products all in the one place. Realising that a dedicated platform was needed which would cater just for this area, the first Sensing Technology event was launched.
In the following years the exhibition evolved to cater for visitor demand, with a broader yet related product area, more exhibitors, a growing seminar programme, plus much more, to the point where the exhibition name was changed to reflect this growth: Sensors & Instrumentation for test, measurement & control.
The 2013 event will therefore cater to both a wider range of exhibitors, but also suit a wider range of visitors.
This year there will be a mixture of first time exhibitors, as well as those returning following the success of previous years. Companies already booked to attend include: National Instruments, Micro-Epsilon, Impress Sensors & Systems, Huba Control, Bronkhorst, Michell Instruments, Techni Measure, Keller, Binder, PCB Piezotronics, Jumo Instruments, Strainsense, GE Measurement & Control, FUTEK, plus many more.
Co-location
A further benefit to visitors is the co-location of Sensors & Instrumentation with a number of other shows. Not only is it once again running alongside MM, NANO and MEMS, but for 2013 it will be joining up with the Machine Building show (also organised by Datateam Business Media and Trident exhibitions). Machine Building is a brand new exhibition aimed at the machine builder and system integrator, and is expected to cover areas including hydraulics and pneumatics, safety, motors and drives, sensors and control equipment, panel building solutions, fastening and joining, industrial robots, plus legislation, regulations and standards.
Reasons to attend
So, the ability to view a wide range of products all in the one place is the first benefit of attending the exhibition, but what else can visitors benefit from?
• A broad range of companies
• Specialists which are not only highly knowledgeable but friendly and more than happy to talk about technologies, applications, the industry and much more
• Product demonstrations
• Brand new products being launched to the UK market for the first time
• Information on the latest technologies
• Seminars held by industry experts with the opportunity for Q&A
• Co-location with other exhibitions
• A venue located centrally in the UK that is easy to get to by road, rail and air.
Sensors & Instrumentation will be taking place on 25-26th September at the NEC, Birmingham. If you’re looking for new sensors and instrumentation, can you afford not to go there?
