A holy trinity of technology fairs, IMID 2008, KES 2008, and ISEDEX 2008 made a distinctive mark together this year as the Korea Electronics Grand Fair (KEGF) 2008. The grand fair showed a comprehensive list of every product one could possibly desire. There were a number of cutting- edge products that surely provided inspiration for all attendees. As the slogan "See the Future Technology Today" suggested, the Korea Electronics Grand Fair not only served its purpose as a talent show, but it also identified clear areas that needed to be improved. Chief Technology Officer of LG Electronics Paik Woo-hyun said, "Many foreigners came to participate in the forums we held at KEGF and led us to believe that the Korean display industry is surely the center of the industry. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and digital projectors seem to be on a roll and will continue to stay on top in the future. Now that the video quality of LCDs has developed enough, it is about time for us to start thinking in terms of energy savings, thickness and cost reduction. As far as a 3D Display without Special Glasses (Natural 3D Scene Display) is concerned, it is a good suggestion for an area to be improved."

KEGF 2008 allowed attendees to predict the future based on the current magic of innovation, and provided a time for everyone to celebrate accomplishments and discuss obstacles together. KES booths occupied three big halls out of five total at KINTEX. The elabo rate booths of Samsung and LG Electronics were the center of visitors' attentions. In order for small sized booths to shine, foreign companies used creative ways to promote their products. SONY Computer Entertainment Korea Inc. (SCEK), for example, used a tour bus instead of an open booth to display their PS3 and PSP products. Saes Getter, another small company, got the best bang for their attention-seeking buck. Assistant to the President's Office Zhou Ping of Saes Getters said, "Those colorful spaghetti lamps are there to capture the visitor's curiosity.

 

What we are actually promoting is mercury dispensers for LCD displays and OLEDs." This company's strategy may be a good tip for some companies next year who are seeking to include a wow factor of the caliber of LG's pile of 50 inch flat screen TVs. LG at IMID exhibited a large scale of LCD panel displays. LG showed AMOLED, a display that is ultra-slim and flexible due to its self-lightemitting system. In addition, LG exhibited new panels which have high scanning rates of 240Hz. The staff of KEGF 2008 suggested that the themes for next year's expo were green and emotions. In line with ETRI's installation of an environmentally friendly experimental car covered with stickers saying "Stop CO2 and Save the Earth," solar cells were the hot spot in the grand fair. Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics held a marketing race with the energy-saving theme of "A TV to Use for 10 Years, Electrical Bills Should be Considered Too,' to competitively unveil TVs that put forth higher definition while reducing power consumption and standby power by 50-60 percent against other home appliances. "A notable aspect is that green technology products have surfaced all over this year," said a Samsung Electronics official.

"These products will be commercialized next year, while digital products boasting low-energy consumption including LED backlights, 3D displays and OLED displays, will be the general trend from 2010," the official forecast. Environmentally friendly products that conserve up to 60 percent more energy and emotional products that reflect the moods of consumers are forecast to take the limelight in home appliances and the IT industry next year. Visitors paused at each booth from MP3s to cameras, UMPCs to printers to mobile phones, and trapped themselves with the happy concerns like "Which one do I like the most" Other times, they felt privileged and amazed to find brand new products like the YEPP Q1 mp3 player, the Haptic 2 mobile handset, and the VM-MX25E camcorder debuting at KEGF. Every visitor probably experienced a feeling related to what Chief Technology Officer of LG Electronics, Paik Woohyun said after a tour: "I want them all." Like children fidget in a candy shop with sparkling eyes and indecisive hands, most visitors at the KEGF floor didn't just walk around sedately.

They spent quite a long time at each booth learning about what each of them had to offer. President Paul Drzaic of the SID said; "I appreciate this opportunity to be invited to the IMID and give the keynote speech. This forum is an important part of the industry, and I am glad to be a part of it. We are always interested in supporting any country with such a strong display industry. It is important for companies to collaborate with others that compliment each other's strengths. For example, Merck is very strong in liquid crystal techniques, while companies like 3M are highly recognized for their multi-layer films. Working together, we can stand strong in the global display market, and that is why conferences like this are essential for the further growth of the industry."