OSA: FiO 2006 a Resounding Success

With more than 100 participating companies, a 44 percent increase in the number of exhibitors and more than 1900 attendees, organizers are calling Frontiers in Optics (FiO) 2006, the Optical Society of America's 90th Annual Meeting, a resounding success.

FiO 2006 was held from Oct. 8-12 at the Rochester Convention Center. OSA organizers said the total number of attendees was up 42 percent from last year. The FiO technical program, consisting of 975 presentations, honed in on some of the most innovative research in the field. World-renowned speakers, including keynotes Nobel Laureate Steve Chu and Harvard University’s Lee Goldstein delivered talks that emphasized the role that optics and photonics currently play in solving global problems, from the energy crisis to Alzheimer’s disease and beyond.

As in recent years, Laser Science XXII, the annual meeting of the Division of Laser Science of the American Physical Society, was held in conjunction with the OSA Annual Meeting. It provided a forum for discussions about the latest work on laser applications and development, spanning a broad range of topics in physics, biology and chemistry.

The exhibit kicked off with a crowded ribbon-cutting ceremony, and exhibitors overwhelmingly indicated that they had consistent, strong traffic and left the show with quality leads, event organizers said.

Next year’s show will take place Sept. 16-20 in San Jose, Calif. For more information, visit: www.frontiersinoptics.org