The Plastic Electronics Foundation, again working in partnership with events organiser IntertechPira, has announced the final updates to the programme for this year’s flagship event for the plastic electronics industry.

The show takes place on Monday 27 – Wednesday 29 October at the Maritim Hotel Berlin, Germany. More details can be found at www.plastic-electronics.org/europe

With a record attendance of over 500 decision makers from Europe and the world at the 2007 event in Frankfurt, the event organisers are looking forward to a good turn out again this year.

The event forms the backbone of the annual plastic electronics events calendar in Europe and brings together experts from across the field, both in industry and academia. The Foundation is using this forum to provide a unique platform where representatives from the entire plastic electronics supply chain can meet and do business. The show format enables valuable networking opportunities as well as providing useful and applicable information on the industry and the latest technical advances.

The workshops

The show will kick off with two pre-conference workshops taking place on Monday 27 October 2008. These interactive sessions will focus on introducing printed electronics (11.00-14.00) and developments in organic photovoltaics (14.00-17.00). Led by industry respected academics Prof. David Britton (University of Cape Town) and Prof. Iain McCulloch (Imperial College London) respectively, both workshops will investigate the fundamentals of the technology and its application. Delegates can use these sessions to refresh their knowledge or as an introduction if they’re new to the field.

The conference

The conference will get underway with a half day plenary session on the morning of Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 October 2008. Featuring leading lights from the industry, the plenary sessions provides a valuable platform to discuss the latest trends across the whole industry and explore its future direction and opportunities. Some of the keynote speakers in the plenary sessions to watch out for include:

Damian Savio – University of Western Sydney (discussing Lightway: design and plastic electronic innovations)
Sir Richard Friend – Plastic Logic
Jan Blockwitz-Nimoth – Novaled (discussing OLEDs and organic electronics: where we are and what we need to work)
Thomas Geelhaar – Merck
Karl McGoldrick - Polymer Vision

The afternoon sessions will be split across 8 key themes:
* Inorganic-Organic Hybrids
* Flexible Displays
* Lighting & Signage
* Organic Based Sensors
* RFID, Labels and Tags
* Organic Photovoltaics
* Printed & Organic Power
* Smart Textiles

Delegates are invited to mix and match presentations from each stream to ensure they gather the knowledge most relevant to them and to enable better networking with the most relevant contacts. For more information on the programme, please visit www.plastic-electronics.org/europe

The showcase

Alongside the conference will be a showcase of the latest technology. The biggest players in the industry will be on hand to discuss their latest developments and how their products can be applied in real-life cases. Exhibitors confirmed so far include:

Advanced Nano Products
Ciba Specialty Chemicals IPMS
City of Dresden
Delo
HC Starck
Invest in Germany
ITI
PixDro
Plextronics
Solarcoating Machinery
VTT

Delegates are invited to peruse the showcase at registration, breaks and with their complementary lunch.

To maximise networking, and to facilitate the catching up of old friends, as much as the forging of new business ties, there will be a drinks reception following the conference programme of the first day.

The awards dinner

New for 2008, the Plastic Electronics Foundation are launching a series of awards to reward excellence in the field of plastic electronics.

Covering three categories for academic, technology providers and end users, industry is invited to submit nominations for the most innovative use and development of technology.

The three categories are:
* Academia for the most original and revolutionary research in the field
* Technology developers for the most innovative developments in organic electronics
* The end user, for the most innovative application of organic electronics

The awards will be judged by Mr Ed van den Kieboom, President of the Foundation, and a panel of expert representatives from industry and academia. The winners will be presented with the prize at a gala dinner held following the conference on Tuesday 28 October.