SAE 2011 Conference draws more than 10,000 attendees.
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Press Release Summary:
SAE 2011 International World Congress with theme, Charging Forward Together, included 10,220 attendees from 48 countries, 87% of which were from North America. Three-day event featured 148 exhibiting companies at Innovators Only exhibition. Technical papers were highlighted at Chat with the Experts networking sessions, while 2011 Ride-n-Drive exhibit showcased 25 different vehicles. Keynote address at World Congress Annual Banquet was delivered by Daniel F. Akerson of General Motors.
Original Press Release:
More than 10,000 Attendees "Charged Forward Together" at SAE 2011 International World Congress
WARRENDALE, Pa. - The theme to the SAE 2011 World Congress was "Charging Forward Together."
Attendees to the three-day conference in Detroit "Charged Forward Together" in more ways than one.
They connected with:
- Electric and hybrid vehicles at the popular Ride-n-Drive;
- Leaders in the automotive industry;
- Innovative OEMs and vendors; and
- Friends and colleagues from around the automotive engineering industry.
General Motors served as host company for the SAE 2011 World Congress; the Tier One Strategic Partner was LG Chem.
The SAE 2011 World Congress, by the numbers, included:
- 10,220 attendees from 48 countries;
- 87 percent of the attendees were from North America, with significant representation from Korea, Germany, Japan, China, United Kingdom and Italy;
- 20 OEMs;
- 148 exhibiting companies;
- 39 sponsors; and
- 1,257 technical papers.
Nearly 70 percent of the attendees work in the engineering or executive disciplines. Nearly all of the major OEMs were represented and, although the majority of attendees work in the automotive industry, the event was well-attended by professionals from aerospace and commercial vehicle sectors, as well.
For the second year, the World Congress had an "Innovators Only" exhibition. There were 148 companies on the show floor, an increase of 30 companies (20-plus percent) from 2010.
The technical papers again included the "Chat with the Experts" networking sessions, which have been well received by attendees.
The 2011 Ride-n-Drive featured 25 different vehicles, including the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf. Over the three-day Congress, more than 1,600 attendees participated in the Ride-n-Drive.
Daniel F. Akerson, Chairman & CEO of General Motors, delivered the keynote address at the World Congress Annual Banquet. David Sandalow, Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy, and Rodney O'Neal, CEO and President of Delphi, delivered the keynote addresses during the week.
"I think we are witnessing a revitalization of the SAE World Congress in several respects," said Patti Kreh, manager, engineering meetings, SAE International. "Attendance is up, our vendors are increasing, the quality of technical discussions is improving and attendees are very happy with the increase in networking opportunities. As the automotive industry recovers, we are seeing increasing enthusiasm in Congress."
Other highlights of the SAE 2011 World Congress included:
- SAE's A World In Motion® (AWIM) program hosted the JetToy Olympics for more than 500 elementary students, and introduced the Fuel Cell Olympics for middle school students.
- Over 200 advanced technical sessions covering every aspect of automotive technology.
- The annual career fair attracted more than 40 companies seeking to fill over 350 positions in the automotive industry.
SAE International is a global association of more than 128,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. SAE International's core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion® and the Collegiate Design Series.
