OFC 2018 to host over 700 Exhibiting Companies
US optical networking and comms conference expecting 21 percent more exhibitors and attendees
The Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC), being held 11-15 March at the San Diego Convention Centre, California, USA, is expecting to feature over 700 exhibitors and 15,000 attendees.
"Over the last few years, we have seen significant growth on the exhibit floor and this year's exhibits will expand to more than 350,000 square feet," explained Melissa Russell, chief industry relations officer, The Optical Society. "The last time OFC was in San Diego in 2010, we used only about 60 percent of the space in the San Diego Convention Center and in 2018 we are using all of it."
According to market research firm Ovum, the optical networking and communications market grew 22 percent in the second quarter of 2017 and they forecast it to reach $16 billion this year. "OFC's number of exhibiting companies has experienced the most significant growth, up 21 percent in just the last five years. We are encouraged to see such healthy numbers in the market," Russell continued.
LightCounting Market Research also sees a continued growth trend in the market segment noting that, "the total market for optical components and modules used in optical communications will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 10 percent over the five-year period to 2021."
OFC is managed by The Optical Society (OSA) and co-sponsored by OSA, the IEEE Communications Society (IEEE/ComSoc), and the IEEE Photonics Society.
