IMID 2009 is coming up again this October, from the 12th to the 16th, so naturally I stopped by Sinchon to speak with Dr. Kim Hyun Jae, a professor at Yonsei University in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the IMID 2009 General Secretariat; and Han A Reum, the IMID 2009 Secretariat, to ask them about what we could expect for this year.
After sitting down with a few coffees in the always-bustling area of Yonsei University, we started talking about papers. For a serious technology conference like the IMID, papers submitted are the most important thing. And, Dr. Kim was quick to point out, there are already 500 papers submitted now, which is included the 100 invited papers from all around the world, and they are expecting more. Also, Ms. Han noted that the participants would also be increased from last year, since more and more people's interest and expectation on IMID is increasing gradually. In fact, the IMID has increased its numbers in papers and participants each year it has met, for the full nine years of its history. "Everybody is looking for new topics, but not all papers are accepted. If they don't have creativity, or are well-written, things like that. Only papers with the highest quality are accepted," explained Dr. Kim.
The IMID in Korea is one of the most influential events of the display industry. This is the area of the world where most displays are made. Korea and Japan are the epicenter of flat-panel displays and screens for the entire planet. "The beauty of IMID, I think, is not just a very boring conference - that's not the place. Many people are coming from the industry, and we have the exhibition at the same time. Real products, future products, will be displayed."
New Innovations
"The first, very special topic this year is photovoltaics. Photovoltaics means technologies to do with solar cells. It's not a display, but it's very much related with display technology," explained Dr. Kim. This is the first time that the topic of solar cells has been included in the IMID conference. This is an indication of how important alternative energy sources are becoming for companies and organizations around the world.
Keynote Speakers
Ms. Han explained about the three keynote speakers this year. "The first is President Won-Kie Chang from Samsung Electronics. The second is SID President-elect Munisamy Anandan. And the third is Jeurgen Koenig, President of Merck Korea." Dr. Kim mentioned that the new president of the SID was very highly recommended by many committee members for this year. Also, he said that Merck Korea is very important in the construction of liquid crystals that permeate the entire display industry. Finally, he said that President Chang was selected because of the long-standing domination of Samsung in the display industry.
Change of Scenery
Also the venue is changing since last year. Whereas before the IMID was traditionally held in Daegu, but it is moving to the capital of Seoul. The increased size of the event is the main reason, but also Ms. Han said that they were thinking about the convenience of the visitors as well.
New Technology
"Flexible display is a hot topic," said Dr. Kim. "Flexible and future displays - electronic paper." Dr. Kim explained that the IMID was recognizing that in a unique way. "We are a display conference, right So starting this year we are going to distribute to the registers electronic paper Reader, like the Kindle." Dr. Kim explained that it was an option for those attending the conference to choose a traditional print conference book, or a Kindle electronic paper display. He mentioned that usually the books one gets at a conference are heavy, and full of hundreds of papers and presentations from many people. But for a small additional charge, people could receive all of the conference information in a small, portable Reader Kindle. "The registration fee for regular people is US$450. If they spend US$450, they get the book. I assume they get the e-book for a bit higher price which would cost very reasonable." He said that the price had not been precisely determined yet but that information would be available soon. But, it will be less than the full price of an e-book.
Flexible Displays
After that, we got to talking about flexible and transparent displays. We talked about the possibility of being able to see what is behind your laptop screen. I tried to pin Dr. Kim down on a prediction about when we could see flexible displays, and he ended up saying perhaps within 3 years. He mentioned that quite a few new papers were being submitted on the subject of flexible displays, and also 3D displays. However, there are still no promising products that are in the pipeline.
Business Forum
A new addition to IMID 2009 this year is the Business Forum on October 14. This is offered in association with DisplaySearch. Dr. Kim explained that the Business Forum was specifically designed for businesspeople who don't really need to or want to know the technical details of the display industry, but just want to know a little bit.
New Featured Programs
Along with the business forum and the new session on photovoltaics, there will also be a special session on Display device design and an awards ceremony. There are also workshops scheduled for October 12 on the subjects of micro and nano crystalline silicon, white OLEDs and their applications, and the technologies of flexible e-paper. For students who may be unfamiliar with the display industry there will also be tutorials on October 12, on the subjects of color technology for display, optics for flat panel displays, and three-dimensional displays.
Details, details
Late papers can be submitted by July 15, 2009. Potential speakers who have submitted papers will receive their acceptance notifications by June 30, 2009. Pre-registration for attending the event begins on July 1 and lasts until September 10. More information is at the web site, www.imid.or.kr.
IMID 2009 is organized by several entities - the Korean Information Display Society, the Korea Display Industry Association, DisplaySearch, and the Society for Information Display. IMID 2009 is sponsored by Merck Advanced Technologies, the Korea Tourism Organization, and the Gyeonggi Tourism Organization.
