Now the ESC SV 2008 is over. I really enjoyed going to the show this year, and presenting on simulation for embedded systems. The topic has to be heating up, I had some fifty people listen to the talk, which is really very good. Hope that they learnt how to build good transaction-level hardware models, and have some idea on how to apply this to their own projects. Hopefully, I can come back next year for the ESC 2009 (update: this did not happen) and do it again (even though the recent travel trouble makes it a less attractive idea to fly back here right now…).
The technical paid-for education conference where I was one of the teachers is apparently going strong, with increased attendance since last year. The show floor exhibition is in crisis, though. The floor was rather thinly populated, and most people I met complained about the poor traffic. Something needs to be done about this, if the ESC is to survive. The embedded industry really needs these yearly gatherings of “everybody” as a place to meet up, talk to lots of people, book meetings with customers and partners, and generally get the feel of the industry. It is a general trend that the big general shows in all parts of the technology business are in trouble, with a possible exception for the German shows.
Maybe go back to the roots of the ESC, with all vendors having little ten-by-ten booths and no expensive decorations. Focusing on embedded technology rather than on gimmicks and give-aways. In some less expensive location so that you do not have shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to be present.
Maybe the Embedded World in Nürnberg will be the future meeting place for the embedded industry. That show is still going strong, with large numbers of very qualified engineers visiting the show floor.
Time will tell.