BERLIN, Oct. 18, 2016 — Over 1,000 participants from 15 countries attended the first Micro Photo nics co nference and co ngress in Berlin, showcasing their products and attending lectures on the development and manufacture of miniature optical compo nents and their applications.

The event was organized by Messe Berlin in association with Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH, the K.I.T. Group and other partners.

“The co ncept of this new trade fair and co ngress was well received by exhibitors and co ngress delegates alike,” said Gérald Lamusse, director of products and new business at Messe Berlin GmbH. “The focus of the first edition was on biophotonics, microphoto nics and nanophotonics. We are now in talks with the relative industry representatives a bout which areas offer the best medium-term prospects. The results of these talks will be taken into account to develop the co ncept of the event.”

Exhibitors included manufacturers of special materials, laser technology and system providers. There was also a wide-ranging program of events that included an executive breakfast, joint venture exchanges, co nferences and excursions to Potsdam and Berlin-Adlershof.

The Tech Watch lecture program, organized by the European Photo nics Industry Co nsortium (EPIC), featured a bout 50 lectures.

“Micro Photo nics is a great platform to meet with the industry in one of the cities in the world that is most committed to photonics,” said Carlos Lee, director general of EPIC. “Berlin is very rich with young and innovative photo nics companies, which attracts stakeholders along the entire value chain, from compo nent manufacturers to application developers and integrators. The technology presentations from key integrators such as Airbus, Thales, Diehl Defence, [and] Philips Innovation Services were clearly very attractive."

The second Micro Photo nics co nference is planned for Autumn 2017.