45% increase in technical conference attendees from 2013 DAC in Austin tied to expanded program

LOUISVILLE, Colo. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — June 21, 2016 — The 53^rd Design Automation Conference (DAC), the premier conference devoted to the design and automation of electronic systems, was once again a great success in Austin, Texas. Overall attendance was up slightly from that of the 50^th DAC, which was the first DAC held in Austin, and there was a 45% increase in technical conference attendees. Exhibitors noticed larger groups of engineers from Austin-based companies, which tend to send a smaller number of people to the conference when it is held in San Francisco.

“The Technical Program Committee did a fantastic job of developing an engaging program that included initiatives in IoT, IP, security, automotive, and design. The large increase in technical conference attendees reflects the program’s broad appeal,” stated Chuck Alpert, 53^rd DAC General Chair. “We believe the new initiatives, coupled with an expanded traditional program, helped drive not just more technical attendees but the high quality of potential customers to the show.”

DAC 2016 was held in the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas from Sunday, June 5 to Thursday, June 9 and offered attendees outstanding training, education, exhibits and networking opportunities. In addition, DAC 2016 introduced several first-time events at the conference, all of which brought excitement to the show floor and drove attendance to the exhibits: the Silicon/ Technology Art Show, the World of IoT exhibit, and the US finals of the NXP Cup Challenge.

“Our booth attendance was as good as it is in San Francisco,” said Amit Nanda, vice president of global marketing at Silvaco, a provider of software tools used for process and device development and for analog/mixed-signal, power IC and memory design. “We enjoyed meeting designers from companies that don’t come to the Bay area as well as just greater quantities of visitors from companies we are familiar with.”

Like many others surveyed onsite by the DAC Industry Liaison Committee, Christopher Jost, vice president sales and marketing for Pulsic, a provider of physical design tools for precision design automation, said of DAC 2016: “As with the last conference in Austin, there was a constant contingent of Texas-based engineers that we really don’t get when the show is in California. We were pleased with the flow of people interested in new product offerings.”

Howard Pakosh, managing partner of TEKSTART, which provides interim sales, marketing and business development capital to high-tech entrepreneurs, said that this year was the first year his company had exhibited outside the San Francisco area. “We’ve been pleased with the conference,” said Pakosh. “The people we’ve been talking to in Austin are actually looking for information and solutions; they’re not just here because it’s an easy commute from Silicon Valley.”

A comparison of attendance figures for the 2013 and the 2016 DACs in Austin shows: