USDC UNVEILS PRELIMINARY AGENDA FOR 11TH ANNUAL DISPLAY INDUSTRY INVESTMENT CONFERENCE
Industry Veteran Bruce Berkoff Delivers Luncheon Keynote;
Kenny Kim and Chris Chinnock of Market Research Firms
DisplayBank and Insight Media Kick-off
Morning and Afternoon Keynotes
San Jose, CA, February 23, 2006 -- T he U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a public/private partnership chartered with developing the flat panel display (FPD) industry infrastructure, today unveiled the keynote speakers for its flagship Display Industry Investment Conference. Sponsored by Needham & Company, LLC, a nationally recognized investment banking and asset management firm, the conference returns for the 11 th consecutive year on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at the Millennium Hotel in New York City. The initial agenda features the most comprehensive line-up in its decade-plus history of public and private companies in the display-centric food chain—covering automotive, mobile, TV and digital signage sectors, to the equipment, materials and electronics they are built on.
According to Needham Senior Analyst, Jim Ricchiuti, the Display Industry Investment Conference represents a great source of real-time display industry data—arming the financial community with information they need to invest wisely. “This conference was the first of its kind to educate the investment world on companies leading the charge to make display technology ubiquitous with our everyday lives. Today, the industry has emerged as one of the most profitable sectors in the technology space—and future growth continues to look bright. This year, we’ll explore the latest technology and market trends across the supply chain, which are expected to drive continued strong growth.”
Bruce Berkoff, newly appointed president and CEO for Enuclia Semiconductor, Inc. (and former executive vice president of marketing and CMO of LG.Philips LCD) will be the featured luncheon keynote. His presentation, titled, “ Catch the Wave: A New Era of HDTV Components is Coming” will address key trends emerging within the display electronics industry as consumers navigate the sea of change associated with the transition from standard definition to full HDTV resolution, along with new options for displaying HD content. Berkoff will highlight how the industry is due for a new wave of innovation from the impact TV electronics have on image quality, cost and customer-specific differentiation. New business opportunities are emerging as the size of the market grows quickly. DisplaySearch, for example, expects HDTV shipments to rise from only ~23 million units in 2005 to more than 88 million units by 2009.
The morning keynote will be kicked off by Kenny Kim, vice president of leading Korean display market research firm Displaybank. His address will focus on the market conditions and outlook for the high-volume LCD makers. The afternoon keynote will be delivered by Chris Chinnock, president of Insight Media—the only market research house to focus exclusively on microdisplays and the entire manufacturing supply chain for microdisplay-based projection and near-to-eye products. Chinnock will deliver a forecast on the rear-projection TV market and the supply chain behind it, including the latest developments in light engines.
The agenda also includes senior executives and analysts from a number of private and public companies: Applied Films, Barco, Bright View, Coherent, Corning, Cambridge Display Technology, Daktronics, eMagin, Genesis Microchip, iSuppli, Integral Vision, EMD Chemicals the U.S. affiliate of Merck KGaA, Microsemi Corporation, Novalux, Novaled, Orbotech, Photon Dynamics, Planar Systems, QUALCOMM, Symmorphix, Syntax-Brillian, Trident Microsystems, Universal Display Corporation, White Electronic Design—and the roster keeps growing.
More information on the conference and registration process can be found at usdc.org. Companies interested in presenting at the conference should contact Heidi Hoffman at 408/993-8111 or via email at heidi@usdc.org. Media interested in attending the conference should contact Marie Labrie of MCA at 650/968-8900 or via email at mlabrie@mcapr.com.
Contact:
Heidi Hoffman
USDC
408.993.8111
heidi@usdc.org
Marie Labrie
MCA
650.968.8900
mlabrie@mcapr.com
About the U.S. Display Consortium
The U.S. Display Consortium is an industry-led public/private partnership providing a common platform for flat panel display and flexible microelectronics manufacturers and developers, FPD users, and the supplier base. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the consortium’s primary mission is to fund supply-chain projects and share the results with USDC member companies. The USDC also provides a communication channel among industry, government and the financial communities for display issues; sponsors workshops to broaden the impact of technological developments; and educates consumers on the importance of displays in providing access to information technology. More information about the USDC can be found at www.usdc.org
About Needham & Company
Needham & Company LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Needham Group, Inc. and a privately held, full-service investment bank with the mission of helping emerging growth companies achieve their potential. The firm is headquartered in New York City with offices in Boston, Menlo Park and San Francisco. In addition to investment banking, Needham's principal activities include institutional sales and trading, asset management and venture capital. To serve its institutional clients, Needham & Company, LLC produces comprehensive equity research on more than 350 companies in technology, health care, consumer and industrial growth. For more information, please see www.needhamco.com. |
