"Don't know how Trident do it, but this has been better than the previous two shows combined." This was glowing praise from Andy Mangell of Bronkhorst UK, one of the exhibitors at the recent Practical Vacuum exhibition, supporting organiser Trident's view that Practical Vacuum is the leading UK event for all aspects of vacuum technology and semiconductor processing. This was Practical Vacuum's ninth year, since its launch in 1999, and the show was co-located with Mtec - Sensors, Measurement & Instrumentation, Machine Building - Drives & Automation and IPOT - Displays Vision & Displays Technology. These industry-leading events attracted over 4,200 people who pre-registered and visited the shows.
There was plenty of additional feedback from other exhibitors. Paul Brooker of Creative Vacuum Group said: "Already booked, very high quality leads, looking forward to next year." Rob White of Pfeiffer Vacuum added: "Have already booked for next year and we met people this year who we wouldn't normally have met. I like these smaller, more specialised shows that are linked together providing plenty of visitor overlap."
For the show next year, 13th and 14th February 2008, Practical Vacuum is delighted to announce the support of the Institute of Physics (IOP) Vacuum Group and the British Vacuum Council (BVC) who will be collaborating to promote and provide a series of free workshops at the event at the NEC Birmingham.
The British Vacuum Council is the representative for Great Britain on the International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Application (IUVSTA). The BVC's role is to stimulate international collaboration in the fields of vacuum science, techniques and applications and related multi-disciplinary topics including solid-vacuum and other interfaces. Dr. DE Sykes, chair of the BVC, says: "The British Vacuum Council is a registered charity which is charged with representing, at an international level, the professional interests of scientists and engineers in Great Britain who work in fields related to vacuum. We are very pleased to be associated with the Practical Vacuum exhibition and look forward to an inspirational event for 2008."
Jill Wadge, Practical Vacuum show manager, is very upbeat about the success of this year's show saying: "Practical Vacuum is targeted at a niche sector of the market and has grown to become the market leader. This is now proven, with the likes of the IOP Vacuum Group and the British Vacuum Council group working with us to make Practical Vacuum 2008 a must-see event."
Already, more than 60 percent of 2008 stand space has been sold and reserved in the two weeks since the 2007 show ended. These include the likes of Bronkhorst UK, Creative Vacuum Group and Pfeiffer Vacuum.
