Exhibitors Prove Intersolar North America Crucial to Forming Business Partnerships and Building Customer Networks

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the fourth year in a row, solar industry innovators and dealmakers met in San Francisco to discuss the trends shaping the industry and view the latest in solar technology firsthand. Networking events, both at the exhibition and conference and during evening receptions, provided the many forums to lay the foundation for the solar industry's next major deal. Over the course of the three-day exhibition, 19,168 registered visitors representing about 80 countries packed the Moscone Center's West and North Halls—providing the 834 solar exhibitors unparalleled access to representatives from the industry's leading solar integrators, module manufacturers, project developers and financers key to forming the partnerships and developing the projects needed to grow the U.S. solar industry. Over at the well-attended conference, loads of information was disseminated from the 220 world-class speakers to the more than 1,600 attendees who participated in the 30 sessions.

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This year, exhibitors occupied 168,050 net square feet—a 30 percent growth over 2010—with a high number of repeat exhibitors and a trend toward larger booth spaces, according to officially verified and just-released numbers from the event's organizers. Three-time Intersolar North America exhibitor Siemens showcased its entire integrated portfolio at its booth, and held a press conference on the second day of the exhibition to announce a $950 million in-kind grant, as the event's draw of both potential customers and influential journalists made it an ideal forum for a major announcement.

"Since we launched Intersolar North America in 2008, we've seen continued growth each year, and have quadrupled the exhibition floor space in those four years," said Markus Elsasser and Klaus W. Seilnacht in a joint statement, respective CEOs of the Intersolar organizing companies, Solar Promotion International and Freiburg Marketing and Management International. "Around 60 percent of our exhibitors are U.S. companies, making Intersolar North America a truly North American event while providing participants with a global industry perspective. We set out to make Intersolar North America the place where lasting business partnerships are made—and based on the feedback we've received and the buzz from the exhibition floor, we've succeeded once again."

"Intersolar North America is one of only a few solar trade events that Siemens Industry, Inc. attends on an annual basis," said Rick Myers, Director, Solar Vertical Market Management at Siemens Industry, Inc. "The 2011 show exceeded our expectations, and this truly is an international event, providing Siemens with a single point of contact for our customers, potential customers, partners and media. It provides a unique venue for Siemens to showcase our entire integrated portfolio."

The number of new announcements at this year's show grew more than 50 percent over last year. One of the many products introduced at the event came from San Francisco-based SolFocus, a leading supplier of concentrating solar photovoltaic systems that has been an exhibitor at Intersolar North America since its inauguration in 2008.

"Intersolar North America has been an excellent exhibition for SolFocus," said Nancy Hartsoch, Vice President of Marketing for SolFocus. "The guests we've had at the booth have been very knowledgeable and well-targeted to our objectives."

"Once again, the Intersolar North America exhibition hall proved to be a hotbed of valuable networking opportunities for our product development and sales teams," said Troy Dalbey, Managing Director of North America for global module supplier Upsolar. "This year our booth was busier than ever, a sure sign of major growth on the horizon for Upsolar and the industry as a whole."

"Each year, AEE Solar exhibits and attends Intersolar North America as it is one of the best forums showcasing some of the hottest solar trends and latest technology in solar. Intersolar is critical for AEE Solar in helping us shape our product strategy to ensure that AEE delivers the right solutions to our customers," said Matthew Woods, Vice President & General Manager of AEE Solar. "Having a strong presence on the show floor remains one of the best ways for AEE to connect with existing customers and our base of dealers and installers. Exhibiting at Intersolar has been key to the continued growth of AEE."

While it is too soon to tell what the next major solar deal, innovation or partnership started with a conversation on the floor at Intersolar North America will be, many companies left the show with promising leads and an expanded customer network. Zep Solar, manufacturer of the first comprehensive platform for module-integrated installation hardware, had its rail-free, Zep System represented in the booths of six of its partners at the show, including Trina, Yingli, Canadian Solar, Centrosolar, Upsolar and Eco-Kinetics—generating considerable buzz, and multiple megawatts-worth of deals.

"We consider this event the ideal backdrop for making solar deals. In fact, we inked several major deals on the show floor this year, toting up to over 100 megawatts of future purchases," said Mike Miskovsky, CEO of Zep Solar.

Save the date for Intersolar North America 2012 to be held for the fifth year in a row at the Moscone Center in San Francisco from July 10-12, 2012. To ensure a premium location, reserve your exhibition space now by clicking here.

About Intersolar

Intersolar North America takes place annually in San Francisco's Moscone Center. Since its establishment in 2008, the exhibition and conference have developed into the premier platform for the solar industry in North America. Intersolar North America focuses on photovoltaics and solar thermal technology and is co-located with SEMICON West. It has quickly established itself among manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and service providers as an international industry meeting point. In total, 834 exhibitors and 19,168 trade visitors participated in 2011. The conference featured 30 sessions with 220 speakers and catered to 1,617 conference attendees.

Intersolar's global event series spans three continents and features over 3,000 exhibitors and 100,000 visitors in 2011. With 20 years of experience, Intersolar uses its unparalleled knowledge to drive the development of solar markets around the world. Intersolar's events in North America, Europe, India and China form a global network that uniquely brings together the most influential solar markets around the world.

For more information on Intersolar North America please visit: http://www.intersolar.us/.

SOURCE Intersolar