DEAR READERS*,
IT’S NOT EVERY DAY you get the country famed for engineering excellence hosting a predominantly US event (the country universally accepted as the economic powerhouse of the world, and famous for her entrepreneurial spirit). So this exceptional event has all the makings for a great meeting of great minds.
Germany is the powerhouse that took the EMC industry to new heights during the introduction of the CE mark, so if you are intent on choosing an overseas location to reinforce the international nature of the IEEE EMC society, Germany is the clear choice.
Less clear are the drivers behind the choice of the city of Dresden as the most suitable venue. Most would have expected Munich or another hotbed of high tech industry to be a more obvious choice. As full of history and as beautiful as Dresden is, it would be interesting to know the decision making background that led to the selection of this particular city, and to know the reasons supporting the decision.
Still, they say ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’, so if the attendance count is good, and the reviews favourable, the show will be judged a great success. And in terms of attendance cost, there is every reason for the show to be a success given that, due to competition between airlines, the price of international flights are on a par with US domestic flights. That is you can fly to Europe for a price not so very different to flying East Coast to West Coast in the US. So if the cost of flying from New York to say the Santa Clara 2015 show is not seen as a barrier to attendance, then flying New York to Dresden is not a barrier either.
The IEEE EMC Board of Directors’ decision to choose Dresden is discussed in more depth at the Interference Technology blog site EMC-Zone, and in all probability will be a hot topic discussed by the guest panelists in February 2015’s ‘Elephants in the Test Room’ EMC Live webinar. Be sure to tune in and see.
Training for EMC Test House Staff
And speaking of EMC Live webinars, with training budgets tight, yet with the test house ISO17025 quality system still insisting staff training gaps to be identified and filled, the webinars are a step in the right direction for alert training managers. Check out the archived and upcoming webinar topics to see if they are applicable. The price is definitely right (free). Don’t see what you need? Contact the Interference Technology editorial staff. They have access to a raft of EMC experts more than capable of creating a suitable webinar where the demand exists. Online education greatly benefits all who choose to use it, and we hope you do.
Tom Mullineaux
Guest Editor
