SID, IHS Market Focus Conference at Display Week 2014 Asks: Are Flexible Displays Finally Ready for Prime Time?

CAMPBELL, Calif., April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --The Society for Information Display (SID), in collaboration with IHS Technology, today unveiled the preliminary program for its Flexible Displays event, being held at Display Week 2014 (San Diego Convention Center, June 1-6).  In its first year as part of the Market Focus Conference (MFC) series, this event investigates how flexible displays are 'flexing their muscle' as they head from the laboratory and into the commercial market. 

The past year has seen market introduction of products employing flexible displays.  Display manufacturers, system-level companies and leading IHS and industry analysts  ̶  including Corning, E Ink, Nanolumens, Holst Centre, Printless Plans and Bardsley Consulting  ̶  will come together on Thursday, June 5, to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with getting flexible devices to market.  Delegates will learn how the new design opportunities enabled by flexible displays can revolutionize traditional application markets.  Additionally, speakers will be considering new markets that may open up as flexible displays become more widely available.  Delegates will walk away with more information about novel form factors, new manufacturing processes, and the implications these changes may have on the market for flexible displays.

A number of conferences over the past decade have covered the topic of flexible displays, but in recent years, these events have become focused less on displays, and more on other electronics devices that can benefit from flexible substrate technologies.  In part, this is due to the complexity of display technologies—because, to be fully deployable, flexible displays need accompanying devices to be flexible as well.

The conference is broken into four sessions that will examine real market opportunities for flexible displays:

Flexible Displays:  Market Analysis
While the notion of flexible displays is appealing, applications that actually demand fully flexible display devices have been limited in concept.  In the past decade, the industry has seen many prototypes, but it is still waiting to identify just where the market is likely to grow.  This session will consider the various development efforts and attempt to identify relevant market opportunities.

Large-area Flexible Displays
Several companies are working on large-area flexible displays for applications in the home, digital advertising, possible desktop solutions, and large-scale visualization.  This session considers some of the leading opportunities for large-scale displays that are constructed on a flexible substrate.

Flexible Displays:  Portable and Wearable Devices
Small-size applications appear to be a great opportunity for flexible displays.  Putting a large-area display into a small package requires some level of flexibility.  Moreover, the fast-growing segment related to wearable devices (including watches, jewelry and other accessories) by definition requires displays with some level of conformability or flexibility.  This session features speakers that are engaged with development efforts for small and medium-sized flexible displays.

Novel Solutions using Flexible Displays:  The Search for the Killer App
Even considering large-area and small/medium market segments, it's not easy to identify applications that truly demand flexibility.  This session looks at several novel segments that might prove to be a "killer app" for flexible displays.

More information on the Flexible Displays MFC can be found at www.displayweek.org.  Additional details on the Business Conference and the Touch Gesture Motion MFC—scheduled respectively for Monday and Wednesday, June 2 and 4—can also be found on the website.  Media interested in attending Display Week may contact Marie Labrie or Angie Kellen at [email protected].  Companies interested in exhibiting/sponsoring at Display Week should contact Jim Buckley at [email protected] (if headquartered in Europe or the Americas), or Sue Chung at [email protected] (if headquartered in Asia).

About Display Week
The 51^st SID International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, or Display Week 2014, will take place June 1-6, 2014 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, Calif.  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 2014, visit www.displayweek.org or follow us on Twitter at @DisplayWeek.  Display Week-related tweets can be created, viewed and shared using the hash tag #SID2014.

About SID
The Society for Information Display (SID) is the only professional organization focused on the display industry.  In fact, 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.  The organization's 6,000-plus global members are professionals in the technical and business disciplines that relate to display research, design, 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 ten 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.

About IHS (www.ihs.com)
IHS Technology (NYSE: IHS) is the leading source of information, insight and analytics in critical areas that shape today's business landscape. Businesses and governments in more than 165 countries around the globe rely on the comprehensive content, expert independent analysis and flexible delivery methods of IHS to make high-impact decisions and develop strategies with speed and confidence. IHS has been in business since 1959 and became a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, USA, IHS is committed to sustainable, profitable growth and employs approximately 8,000 people in 31 countries around the world.  IHS is a registered trademark of IHS Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Copyright © 2014 IHS Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Society for Information Display (SID)