Research Triangle Park, NC USA – 29 October 2004 – ISA’s annual event packed the show floor and technical conference sessions again in 2004. Held 5-7 October at the Reliant Center in Houston, Texas, ISA EXPO 2004 hosted 14,569 automation and control professionals from over 70 countries and 562 companies showcasing their latest technologies, products, and services in nearly 110,000 net square feet of exhibit space. This represents an overall increase of nearly 4% over ISA EXPO 2003.
ISA EXPO 2004 featured North America’s largest and most comprehensive automation and control showcase, two cutting-edge technical conferences, an exceptional continuing education and training program, and daily keynote presentations and special forums featuring industry leaders providing insight into crucial issues of the day. “Exhibitors and attendees both walked away enthused with the outcome of the event. Exhibitors left with new business leads enhanced relationships with current customers while attendees left with more knowledge on the latest offerings of products, technologies, and services in instrumentation, systems, and automation,” said Tracey Berrett-Noble, Manager of Convention Services for ISA.
“We were very pleased with our ISA EXPO 2004 experience,” stated Steve Apple, Sales Director at TiPS, Inc. “The number of quality attendees was up. Indications are that spending freezes are over and attendees are enthusiastic about restarting projects they were looking at before the economic downturn. We were thrilled as we were swarmed with people who were interested in our products. ISA succeeded in attracting people who had a true interest in finding products that matched their needs.
We look forward to ISA EXPO 2005 in Chicago,” TiPS, Inc. is a Georgetown, Texas based alarm management company. “ICONICS was pleased to introduce both PortalWorX and BridgeWorX at ISA EXPO 2004,” said Tim Donaldson, Director of Marketing, ICONICS, Inc. “Our exhibit theater was packed daily with attendees from a variety of key industries. We were surprised by the number of attendees from outside the Gulf States region and were very happy with the quality and quantity of leads received.
We are looking forward to ISA EXPO 2005 in Chicago.” ICONICS is a Foxborough, Massachusetts based developer of Web-enabled industrial automation software.
ISA EXPO 2004 Key Highlights:
• The exhibition featured 562 companies and included three focused product and technology pavilions: AutomationIT, Industrial Communications, and Sensors. • Two technical conference programs offered content for professionals interested in current and developing applications as well as those interested in emerging technologies.
Additionally three focused symposiums provided in depth coverage of critical topics – Industrial Network & Systems Security, Industrial Networking & Communications, and Productivity & Asset Management. • Daily keynote presentations by industry leaders John Sieg, managing director corporate operations – DuPont; Jim Pinto, managing partner – jimpinto.com; and Greg Jensen, CTO – SAFLINK Corporation, provided insight into the use of process control to improve business results, global shifts in automation, and biometric technology. • Special forums covered Cyber Security, outsourcing, and homeland security.
Panelists included government officials from the US, Canada, and UK; industry experts; and members of the research community. • The ISA Training Institute presented seventeen training courses, conducted the first Certified Automation Professional exam, and debuted the new certification program CIMM – Certified Industrial Maintenance Mechanics. The conference and exhibition kicked off with the Society’s annual Honors and Awards Banquet which recognizes ISA members and industry leaders for their contributions to the profession. For the first time in the Society’s history, ISA honored an organization, NASA, for its technological advancements in the industry. ISA EXPO 2005 is scheduled for 25 – 27 October at McCormick Place in Chicago.
For more information about ISA EXPO 2004, visit www.isa.org/isaexpo2004 .
About ISA
ISA—The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society is a 33,000-member global, nonprofit, educational organization connecting people and ideas in automation + control. The Society fosters advancement in the theory, design, manufacture, and use of sensors, instruments, computers, and systems for automation + control in a wide variety of applications. In addition to hosting the largest conferences and exhibitions for automation + control in the Western Hemisphere, ISA is a leading technical training organization and a respected publisher of books, magazines, and standards.
ISA also serves the professional development and accreditation needs of Control Systems Engineers (CSE), instrument technicians, and others within the field of automation + control. ( www.isa.org )
