Live From Austin—The DAC Exhibition Floor

I’ve been attending DAC since 1992, and it’s astonishing to me how each new year brings more and more compelling experiences for attendees. Of course DAC is rooted in a world-class IEEE and ACM sponsored conference program, but the activities in the exhibit hall just get more and more amazing and fun every June.

The exhibit hall at this year’s DAC is not just a place where exhibitors from around the world will share leading-edge technologies. It’s going to be a hive of all sorts of activities—a magnet for all attendees.

Here’s a rundown of what you’ll experience in Austin, June 18-22:

• In the second year of the popular World of IoT, we’ve added new interactive experiences for attendees to enjoy, building on last year’s successes. We have a tech puzzle for avid problem solvers, a new virtual reality experience and our very popular tear-downs. These activities are part of the popular DAC Attack game, available in the DAC mobile app. We give out prizes—Samsung VR headset, Bose noise-canceling headphones, Amazon gift cards, and more— to the highest points winners on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. from the DAC Pavilion. And don’t forget the return of the Makers Market and the IP Pavilion, all within the World of IoT. It’s almost like an entire event in and of itself.
• Eating at trade shows can be a boring brown-bag affair at best and a “Survivor”-like scavenger hunt at worst. At the 54th DAC, finding and enjoying food won’t be a problem! New this year is the Lunch Corral and dining entertainment right on the show floor. Attendees can venture outside to an array of food trucks (double the number we offered last year) and then duck back inside to the Lunch Corral to enjoy watch magicians performing each day. In addition to lunch, we’ll have free popcorn stands sprinkled throughout the exhibit hall, and the post-keynote coffee breaks on the show floor are open to all attendees.
• The DAC Pavilion is open again this year, starting its program each day at 10:15 with presentations from a respected industry analyst, a mid-morning CEO fireside chats with the heads of Cadence, Synopsys and Mentor Graphics as well as SKY Talks and panel sessions. The DAC pavilion program is an excellent way for all attendees to have access to high-level presentations and executive conversations.
• Another great source of technical insight at DAC is the Designer/IP Track poster session, which will be available on the floor. Tuesday, come enjoy beer and technology as the poster session organizers host a cocktail and beer reception.

All that is on top of the scores of EDA and IP companies exhibiting at DAC again. It’s clear that as DAC evolves and the program and exhibit floor gets more compelling each year that we’re making an impression: This year we welcome 15 new exhibitors to our annual gathering.

Remember, registration is still open. Don’t miss the chance to attend our industry’s biggest annual event, which begins June 18th, 2017.

And with the many new exhibitors and a better-than-ever show-floor experience on tap, the exhibit hall at Austin Convention Center is going to be the place to be this June. See you there.