DesignCon, North America’s largest chip, board, and systems event, announced the annual conference and exhibition – historically slated for the January time frame at the Santa Clara Convention Center – will now be held April 13-15, 2021 at the larger Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accredited San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
The change in venue provides additional space for DesignCon’s ever-growing technical conference, notably integrating engineering professionals in automotive electronics and intelligence and embedded hardware, software, and IoT from the Drive World and Embedded Systems Conference (ESC) allowing for even more professionals to learn from the experts who present each year.
“The new date and location in San Jose, California is the result of an ongoing strategy to expand and hone DesignCon’s legacy offerings,” said Suzanne Deffree, Group Event Director, DesignCon, organized by Informa Markets. “The larger venue will enable increased exhibiting space, added seating in the popular Chiphead Theater, and curated space for the returning Career Zone, which alone drew in more than 300 attendees in 2020, as well as afford the ability to introduce new programs for the community on a year-long basis.”
To complement DesignCon’s significant role in growing the industry via a mounting roster of qualified attendees across applications, DesignCon recently launched a brand-new “Back-to-School” webinar series with media partner Design News. The five-day educational opportunity is set to take place September 28 – October 2 and will feature some of the highest-rated speakers and session content from DesignCon 2020, which for the first time, is free-to-attend. Speakers include: Amphenol, ANSYS, Intel, JordanDSP.com, Marvell Semiconductor, Samtec, and Teledyne LeCroy.
Deffree continued: “The industry is undergoing the most significant disruption since the conception of Moore’s Law, as the underlying assumptions are undergoing a noteworthy market adaption. The industry needs to remain connected, not just three days a year, but on a constant basis to spur and keep up with market progression. This need for continued education is foundational to our launching the “Back-to-School” webinar series, a program we are excited to offer our community and one we’ll continue to nurture as the industry evolves.”
For more information and to register for the “Back-to-School” webinar series, thoughtfully curated by our Technical Program Committee (TPC) – an expert panel of more than 90 industry professionals – visit: DesignCon.com/WebinarSeries.
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DesignCon 2021 FAQ
When and where will DesignCon 2021 take place?
DesignCon’s in-person event is scheduled for April 13-15, 2021, at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, CA. Please note this is updated from the event’s original date and location which was January 2021 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
Why did you move DesignCon from January to April?
As we continue to plan for a productive and safe in-person event, and with DesignCon’s conference rapidly outgrowing its current space, we proactively rescheduled DesignCon to April 2021 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center which is the first Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accredited venue.
Why leave the Santa Clara Convention Center and move to San Jose Convention Center in 2021?
The San Jose McEnery Convention Center allows us more space so that DesignCon can welcome additional high-caliber attendees to the expo and conference, as well as space to expand offerings on its expo floor.
San Jose McEnery Convention Center is the first convention center in Northern California to receive the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation. GBAC STAR establishes protocols and procedures, offers expert-led training and assesses a facility’s preparedness for biorisk situations. Every venue that receives the accreditation is vetted by GBAC as meeting all requirements for a safe, preventative, and responsive meetings facility.
We’re excited to introduce the inclusion of the Drive World and Embedded Systems Conference to the 2021 event, the additional space at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center allows more room to accommodate these programs and conference attendees in automotive electronics/intelligence and IoT spaces.
What is being planned for health and safety at DesignCon 2021?
DesignCon will be organized in accordance with Informa's AllSecure health and safety standard. As the world's leading events company and DesignCon’s organizer, Informa has developed a detailed set of health and safety measures to provide the highest levels of hygiene, ensuring visitors that they are participating in a safe and controlled environment. Informa events will be run according to official government and local authority guidance in the first instance, as well as any venue- or location-specific regulations.
Additionally, we are working with the San Jose McEnery Convention Center—the first convention center in Northern California to receive the GBAC STAR outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation—to ensure ample space for distancing and to avoid lines or crowds in all DesignCon spaces, including our conference rooms, expo floor experiences, and lunch and networking areas.
As we approach the April 2021 in-person event, DesignCon will update its website with more information.
Does DesignCon offer any other resources for engineers beyond its in-person event?
DesignCon knows that innovation and education can’t be limited to its three-day, in-person event. Scheduled to take place September 28 – October 2, DesignCon will launch its first online educational opportunity, a five-part “Back-to-School” webinar series with media partner Design News. Additional educational and networking opportunities will be highlighted throughout the year on DesignCon’s Resources page.
Will DesignCon host networking opportunities in 2021?
DesignCon will be organized in accordance with Informa's AllSecure health and safety standard, as well as in accordance with official government and local authority guidance and any venue or location-specific regulations. At this time, we are planning for networking opportunities, including happy hours and DesignCon’s annual Welcome Reception, that will be hosted with health and safety as our top priority. Updates will be shared on the DesignCon website.