CLEO 2016: An Innovation Playground

For the 36th year, the Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) will bring together industry players from around the world, from June 5-10 at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, for technical sessions, special symposia, tutorials, and business programming, all highlighting the latest research, market-ready technologies, and applications in lasers and electro-optics.

The CLEO: Expo will be held mid-week, featuring more than 250 companies and organizations that will introduce and demonstrate new products and innovations. Those exhibiting include Aerotech Inc., Edmund Optics, Daylight Solutions, Fianium Inc., Hamamatsu Corp., Lighthouse Photonics, Inrad Optics, Nurfern, OZ Optics, Coherent Inc., Sandia National Laboratories, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, Siskiyou Corp., Zaber Technologies, and Thorlabs.

Programming centered on business trends and market applications are scheduled during the Expo, as well. Among them:

Market Focus — This program focuses on the latest trends in the marketplace and provides a forum for discussion about new products, emerging technologies and evolving markets. There will also be several presentations about the latest in photonics products and services that hold potential for future business opportunities.

Technology Playground — This allows attendees the opportunity to explore companies’ latest innovations and solutions. How this daily program works: With a playing card in hand, attendees visit participating exhibitors, and when they have completed the card they are entered into a drawing for the chance to win a $200 American Express gift card. In addition to Photonics Media, exhibitors here include Calmar Laser, Coherent Inc., Newport, Optimax, TOPTICA Photonics, and Sacher Lasertechnik GmbH.

Technology Transfer — With this program, attendees have an opportunity to learn more about the new produce licensing process, as well as funding, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and intellectual property. There will also be license-ready technologies on display. A keynote speaker — Henry Kapteyn, of KMLabs — will delve further into these topics, and a pitch panel will give entrepreneurs the chance to showcase their technology, demonstrate its value, and discuss the next steps to commercialization. Photonics Media is the media sponsor for the Technology Transfer program.

Plenary sessions are also on tap at CLEO. Scheduled speakers include Ferenc Krausz, of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; Jelena Vuckovic of Stanford University; and David Reitze, executive director and research professor with the LIGO Project at the California Institute of Technology.

On June 8, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., Photonics Media is co-hosting an Exhibit Happy Hour on the show floor. This networking event is open to all attendees, and serves to bring together companies and customers for drinks, appetizers, and good conversation.

For more information, visit Photonics.com and CLEOconference.org.