UP Media Group announces major changes for the 2008 PCB design conferences.

SANTA CLARA, CA -- UP Media Group Inc. (UPMG) has announced that major changes are planned for its 2008 PCB Design Conferences, starting with the biggest news: a seasonal switch in schedule for PCB Design Conference East and PCB Design Conference West.

Held in a Silicon Valley location each spring since 1992, PCB West will move to a fall schedule after PCB West 2007. PCB West 2008 will be held in the fall in the Silicon Valley area.

PCB East, which has been held in an East Coast location each fall since 1996, will move to a spring schedule in 2008. PCB East 2008 will be held in the Chicago area during the spring of 2008. The exact dates and location will be announced as soon as possible.

"Lately, it seems like the Silicon Valley is overloaded with conferences and trade shows during the spring. Some are electronics industry shows; others aren't. But the end result is that Silicon Valley area attendees are inundated with show-related e-mail, direct mail and advertising from January through April," said UPMG President Pete Waddell. "We decided to move PCB West to a time of year when our attendees will be able to focus primarily on our conference and exhibition. Likewise, it made sense to shift PCB East to a spring schedule and move the show to Chicago in keeping with our recent tradition of moving it to targeted locations around the East Coast."

In addition to the seasonal switch of its two annual conferences, UPMG is pleased to make the following additional announcements for PCB West 2008:

* A special focus on printed circuit manufacturers and manufacturing technologies on the exhibition show floor.

* An expanded conference, featuring numerous new courses on the hottest topics and an impressive line-up of speakers that will be announced during the coming year.

* Three keynote addresses--one each morning on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before classes begin.

* A new mini Trakker lead-gathering system for exhibitors that fits in a pocket and goes where exhibitors go during the show, making it easier to gather leads off the show floor.

* UPMG will make more announcements regarding the 2008 conferences in the months leading up to both shows.

"The PCB Design Conferences are truly special," explained Waddell. "I know this because before I got into publishing and show production, I was a PCB designer looking for the kind of inspiration, education and solutions that our conferences provide. Seventeen years after I helped found the PCB Design Conferences, they are still the only industry conferences that truly understand and respond to the educational and informational needs of PCB engineering and design professionals."

"Our speakers aren't just industry experts; they're gifted teachers," added Conference Co-Chair Kathy Nargi-Toth, who is also editor of Printed Circuit Design & Manufacture magazine. "Our courses aren't the typical 30-minute paper sessions filled with marketing propaganda; they're interactive two-hour workshops, half-day seminars and full-day tutorials filled with the perfect balance of theory, real-world examples, hands-on exercises and classroom discussion. Our attendees won't find another industry conference that provides as much value for their money."

UPMG's next conference is PCB East 2007, which will be held on October 21-26 at the Durham Marriott at the Civic Center in Durham, NC. For more information, visit pcbeast.com.