The broad scope of topics across photonics technologies and the participation of industry drew strong attendance to SPIE Europe's Photonics Europe in Strasbourg, France, from April 7-10th. Total attendance was 2300, up from previous years' events. Growth was seen in the number of participants in technical presentations and programs as well as in organizations in the exhibition, which included 150 exhibiting companies.
"Photonics Europe is now the place for presenting foreground results in EU-funded projects and to meet with European Commission photonics staff," said Hugo Thienpont of Vrije Universiteit Brussel, one of the event's three General Chairs. "I was really pleased by the quality of technical content, and with the extremely well-attended Industry Perspectives sessions. It was a good opportunity to network."
Giancarlo C. Righini, Istituto di Fisica Applicata Nello Carrara, CNR, and Patrick Meyrueis, Université Louis Pasteur, also served as General Chairs for the event.
High interest was shown in all 18 technical conferences, with the largest audiences attending sessions in Photonics for Solar Energy Systems, Metamaterials, Organic Optoelectronics and Photonics, and Nanophotonics. Approximately 1100 papers were presented.
Meyrueis cited the European Photonics Clusters meeting and the Photonics Innovation Village as highlights of the event: "The Innovation Village displayed the talent invested by bright European scientists in bridging basic science and industry to produce for emerging markets, with energy and confidence in the future of Europe."