Organisers, Xmark Media report on the success of this year's event and announce the dates for 2013

Reports from the show floor at the close of the 2012 Photonex show indicate that the organisers have not only managed to increase visitor numbers to the event but also further secured its position as the most all-encompassing meeting for photonics in the UK. Photonex is reaching an ever-broadening range of market sectors and applications. Has Photonex bucked the trend of shrinking meetings? It appears so, with an overall increase in visitors of 6%.

Spectroscopy instrumentation has become smaller and more portable so uses now reach many new applications. "I'm very pleased with the quality and quantity of visitors to the stand, an excellent improvement on previous years," commented Nick Barnett of Ocean Optics, a leading manufacturer of miniature spectrometers.

Three years ago, the organisers launched Vacuum Expo much to the surprise of some of the exhibitors. What has vacuum got to do with photonics? There is no doubt that the adding of complementary high-technology events alongside Photonex helps to give visitors reasons to visit. A proportion of the visitors to Vacuum Expo, including a large number from government research establishments, also use photonics in the course of their work. Kay Cable from exhibiting company, Laser Components, commented on the co-location this year: "Photonex was well organised. We had good quality enquiries and we met repeat customers plus new opportunities due to the good turn out. Combining Photonex with Vacuum Expo has worked exceedingly well."

In addition to the attraction of the exhibition, the organisers and industry collaborators ran parallel meetings and technical sessions. The Institute of Bio-Sensing Technology (IBST) ran a one-day meeting on Biomedical Sensing to present the opportunities for photonics sensing techniques in medical and clinical applications, both in-vitro cell monitoring and in-vivo optical diagnostics. Meeting chairman, Professor Richard Luxton, commented on the meeting: "We had a great turn-out to all the presentations. We loved the open and welcoming nature of the meeting area within the exhibition hall. To be able to hold a meeting of this calibre, offer it for free and at a central England venue has worked well for us."

The meeting on Hyperspectral Imaging & Solutions was organised with the intention of bringing together technology specialists and researchers in several fields of hyperspectral imaging for a one-day technology catch-up. Unlike conventional colour cameras which capture light in just three spectral windows, hyperspectral cameras have the ability to capture a section of the electromagnetic spectrum at every pixel. Technology is moving at a great pace and the UK is a significant player in the development of instrumentation and commercialisation of this technology. The meeting was truly international including speakers from Canada and Norway. Organiser, Professor Stephen Marshall, said after the meeting: "It all went very well, I certainly enjoyed it. This meeting brought leading academics together in the same room which was useful. The industrial input was of very high quality both from suppliers and end users."

Corporate sponsor CVI Melles Griot, an exhibitor for most of the two decades of the event, continues to find the exhibition a great way to meet existing and potential customers. Chief Technology Officer, Dr Helmut Kessler, commented: "A vibrant show as usual - confirming Photonex position as the UK's premier show."

More details about Photonex can be viewed at www.photonex.org.

Dates for next year's show will be 16 & 17 October 2013, at Ricoh Arena Coventry.