Display Week Celebrates 50 Years Of Display Innovation And Achievement Next Week In Vancouver, B.C.

CAMPBELL, Calif., May 17, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Society for Information Display (SID), announced its final program line up for Display Week 2013, which will be taking place in Vancouver for the first time in its 50-year history, and will be held from May 19-24^th at the Vancouver Convention Centre.  More than 6,500 attendees from around the world are expected to converge in British Columbia's famed seaport city to see firsthand the trends and innovations in electronic display technology that will be taking consumers by storm in the next few years. 

SID was established in 1962 to bring together the electronics industry's best minds to focus on development and commercialization of display technology.  Over the last 50 years, Display Week has become the premier showcase for the display industry—an industry that is valued at over $100 billion annually, with North America representing the largest market in the world.  In fact, Display Week is the place where the world got its first look at technologies that have shaped the display industry into what it is today, such as plasma, liquid crystal (LCD) and organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays.  In addition, it is the place where emerging industry trends are brought to the forefront of the display industry, including flexible displays, e-readers, 3D, ultra-high-definition TVs, and more.

Kicking off the Symposium portion of the event on Tuesday morning, May 21 will be the following keynote addresses:

• Dr. Kinam Kim of Samsung will focus on "Displays and Innovation: An Exciting Future."  Specifically, Dr. Kim will address the innovations in user interface/interaction, as well as the advancements and challenges in panel technologies in order to offer richer, more dynamic experiences for displays.
• Bill Buxton of Microsoft will speak on "The Social Life of Devices," explaining the shifting sands of ubiquitous computing and how managing the complexity for users with individual devices is critical to the continued growth of our industry. 
• The last morning keynote, Professor John F. Wager of Oregon State University, will review the current status of amorphous oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors (AOS TFTs) for display applications.

Technical Program

Running Tuesday, May 21 through Friday, May 24, Display Week's technical program consists of 69 technical sessions with more than 400 papers, with an additional 155 papers to be presented at the Thursday, May 23 afternoon poster session.  Special technology tracks will cover 3D displays, OLED TV, Oxide TFT, solid-state lighting and touch and interactivity.

Exhibits

Held in conjunction with the symposium, the 2013 exhibition will feature the latest display developments, many of which attendees can expect to see integrated into the next generation of consumer electronics products.  A ribbon-cutting ceremony commemorating Display Week's 50^th anniversary and honoring several long-time exhibitors will kick off the opening of the exhibition, which follows immediately after the morning keynote addresses.  The mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson, is also scheduled to be in attendance at this ceremony.  Admission is free with registration for any of the technical sessions.  Exhibit-only attendance is $25.  Hours and dates for the exhibits are:

• Tuesday, May 21:  10:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Wednesday, May 22:  9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Thursday, May 23:  9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

I-Zone—Returning again this year, SID will provide a forum for live demonstrations of emerging information display technologies in an exhibit called the "Innovation Zone" (I-Zone) in the main Exhibit Hall.  The I-Zone, sponsored by E Ink, offers researchers space to demonstrate their prototypes or other hardware demo units for 2 days free of charge, encouraging participation by small companies, startups, universities, government labs and independent research labs.

The world-class program of Display Week includes a number of additional events, as summarized below.  More information on the respective agendas for each of these events are available at www.displayweek.org.

SID Annual Media and Analyst Breakfast—Open to all accredited media and market researchers, SID's President Brian Berkeley will provide a look at some of the must-sees during Display Week.  The presentation and complimentary breakfast will be held in the SID press room, West 101 & 102 in the Vancouver Convention Centre, starting at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21.

Business Conference and Market Focus Conference Series—Sponsored in part with IHS, the Business Conference and Market Focus Conference Series returns to Display Week.  This year's Business Conference takes place on Monday, May 20, and will focus on the opportunities and challenges companies are facing in this highly volatile, yet dynamic economic environment.  The Market Focus Conference Series (Touch Gesture Motion and High Performance Displays), scheduled for Wednesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 23, respectively, will bring together industry leaders throughout the supply chain to explore the cutting-edge innovations that will shape the future of these two fields.

Investors Conference—Produced in collaboration with Cowen and Company, the Investors Conference returns again for its 9^th year on Tuesday, May 21 and will feature presentations from leading public and private companies in the display technology supply chain.

Awards and Special Events

Awards Banquet—The Honors and Awards Banquet will take place at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, May 20 at the Vancouver Convention Centre, West Meeting Rooms 301-305; attendance is limited to those that have purchased tickets in advance. 

Awards Luncheon—The Display Industry and Best-in-Show Awards will be presented at this luncheon, scheduled for noon on Wednesday, May 22, at the convention centre.  This year's luncheon keynote speaker is Ronald Rensink from the University of British Columbia's Departments of Computer Science and Psychology, who will speak on the topic "When Vision Science Met Information Display."  Tickets cost $35, and the luncheon is open to all interested attendees.

Special Local Event—This year's signature Display Week event, sponsored by Henkel, will be held Wednesday evening, May 22 at the Vancouver Aquarium.  Attendees will dine and drink with a spectacular view of the sea creatures of the Pacific.  Tickets are $50 per person (includes transportation) and can be purchased at the SID Registration Desk.

About Display Week

The 50^th SID International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, or Display Week 2013, will take place May 19-24, 2013, at the Vancouver Convention Center in Vancouver, Canada.  Display Week is the premier international gathering of scientists, engineers, manufacturers and users in the field of electronic information displays.  For more information on Display Week 2013, visit www.displayweek.org or follow us on Twitter at @DisplayWeek.  Display Week-related tweets can be created, viewed, and shared using the hashtag #SID2013.

About SID

The Society for Information Display (SID) is the only professional organization focused on information displays.  By exclusively focusing on the advancement of electronic display technology, SID provides a unique platform for industry collaboration, communication and training in all related technologies while showcasing the industry's best new products.  With more than 6,000 members worldwide, the organization's members are professionals in the technical and business disciplines that relate to display research, design, and manufacturing, applications, marketing and sales.  To promote industry and academic technology development, while also educating consumers on the importance of displays, SID hosts more than 10 conferences a year, including Display Week, which brings industry and academia all under one roof to showcase technology that will shape the future.  SID's global headquarters are located at 1475 S. Bascom Ave., Ste. 114, Campbell, CA 95008.  For more information, visit www.sid.org.

SOURCE Society for Information Display (SID)