CHICAGO, June 30 -- About 23,500 visitors and 950 exhibitors gathered at the "Laser 2005.World of Photonics" trade show for optical technology, held this month at the Munich International Trade Show Center, in Munich, Germany -- a 10 percent increase in visitor traffic compared to Laser 2003. For the first time, more than 50 percent of attendees came from countries outside Germany, including the US, China and Japan, said the show's organizer, Munich International Trade Fairs. "Traffic at our booth was heavy throughout the show, and the international mix of visitors was phenomenal," said Charles Pollack, general manager of US-based Lambda Research. Boosted by the growing attendance of Chinese and North American companies, the number of exhibitors rose by 20 percent, to 950, with more than half from outside Germany. The US had the largest international presence, with 137 exhibitors. Many American exhibitors also capitalized on the international audience by meeting with existing business partners and prospective clients. "We have had interest in our products from around the world," said Charleen Dunn, international sales manager at Texas Instruments. "We could not have done this at another show." In conjunction with Laser 2005.World of Photonics, the World of Photonics Congress 2005, Europe's leading conference for optical technologies, attracted 3000 delegates who participated in more than 1800 individual and poster presentations, technical seminars and panel discussions. This year’s congress covered a wider variety of topics, from basic research on lasers to applications in industrial production and nanotechnology. It will be further expanded in 2007 with the support of the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology. The second FiberComm conference, held at Laser.2005, attracted 3000 participants and was devoted exclusively to optical information and communications technology. Industry experts discussed trends such as hyper convergence and changes in the competitive landscape. Speakers included representatives of Cisco Systems, Intel, MCI Communications, Siemens and Motorola, among others. The next Laser.World of Photonics will be held June 18-21, 2007, in Munich. The first Laser.World of Photonics China will take place March 21-23, 2006, in Shanghai. For more information, visit: www.global-electronics.net/laser