Includes Visitors from Over 40 Countries

ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Vision Show and Conference broke all previous records with over 2,500 people in attendance, which is a 12 percent increase over the previous record set in 2016, according to AIA, the global trade group for vision and imaging technology.

The Vision Show, North Americas leading event devoted to machine vision and imaging, featured over 150 exhibitors and 23,000 square feet of floor space displaying the latest machine vision systems, imaging components, deep learning vision software, embedded vision solutions, collaborative robots and more.

"As a first time exhibitor, I was impressed with the amount of connections we made with new customers and the level of engagement through conversation," said Jamie LaCouture, Tradeshow Supervisor with Thorlabs. "We will be returning for the next show in 2020!"

"The Vision Show was an excellent opportunity to not only obtain the latest industry trends and information, but to get targeted and qualified leads," said Chris Beevers, Manager of Device Connector Solutions Engineering & Market Development with Phoenix Contact. "We are looking forward to the next event!"

"The show was busy, the visitors were well informed about vision, and the networking among exhibitors was excellent!" said Laurie Partington, Senior Marketing & Communications Representative for Matrox Imaging.

The Vision Conference, which runs in parallel to the exhibition, featured five in-depth tracks exploring vision integration, embedded vision, IIOT and AI, AIAs Certified Vision Professional (CVP) Basic level training program, and CVP Advanced. The five-day conference experienced a 10 percent increase in attendees compared with the previous event in 2016.

Photius Wins Startup Competition

The Vision Show Startup Competition provided five upstart vision companies with an opportunity to generate awareness of their technology and find new sources of funding. On April 13, a panel of judges comprised of venture capitalists and industry leaders announced that Photius, a 3D measurement technology company using drones, was the winner of the $5,000 grand prize.

Photius technology combines photogrammetry, laser scanning, and structured light measurements and promises the range, accuracy, and speed of a laser scanner, but 10 times cheaper than current devices. Photius plans to target infrastructure and construction management applications during the initial rollout of their technology, and the $5,000 prize will allow them to accelerate their technology and business development activities.

A Record Time for the Vision Industry

The record attendance at The Vision Show and Conference mirrors the overall growth the vision industry has recently experienced. According to AIAs latest statistics, more imaging components and systems were sold than ever before last year in North America, as sales for machine vision solutions grew 15 percent over 2016 to $2.6 billion.

"Interest and enthusiasm about vision technology is building, as we saw first-hand at The Vision Show. This is an exciting time for our industry," said Alex Shikany, Vice President of AIA. "The companies who exhibited at The Vision Show are leading the way with tomorrows innovations in this space. Be it embedded vision technology, smart cameras, AI, machine learning, or 3D imaging, there is a solution to nearly every challenge customers will face."

Upcoming Industry Events

AIA and its sister association, the Robotic Industries Association (RIA) are looking ahead to the second iteration of their new fall conference in Silicon Valley, the Collaborative Robots, Advanced Vision & AI Conference. The event will take place October 24-25 at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, and will feature leading edge presentations, exhibits, and networking in the areas of collaborative robotics, advanced vision, and AI. Registration will open soon at www.crav.ai.

AIA and RIAs parent group, the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) also is preparing for its flagship trade show, Automate, which will take place April 8-11, 2019 at McCormick Place in Chicago. The show is expected to feature over 450 exhibitors and 160,000 square feet of exhibition space devoted to the latest solutions in automation, robotics, vision, motion control, and AI technology. The accompanying educational conference will feature in-depth tracks on growing areas of interest in automation. For more information, visit www.automateshow.com.

About AIA

Founded in 1984 to advance the understanding and use of imaging and vision technologies and to drive global expansion and growth through education and promotion, AIA now represents over 360 vision suppliers, system integrators, users, researchers, and consulting firms from 32 countries. AIA is part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). For more information on AIA, visit www.visiononline.org or contact AIA Headquarters at (734) 994-6088.

About Association for Advancing Automation (A3)

The Association for Advancing Automation is the global advocate for the benefits of automating. A3 promotes automation technologies and ideas that transform the way business is done. A3 is the umbrella group for Robotic Industries Association (RIA), AIA (Advancing Vision + Imaging), and Motion Control & Motor Association (MCMA). RIA, AIA, and MCMA combined represent over 1,080 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups, and consulting firms from throughout the world that drive automation forward. A3 hosts Automate (April 8-11, 2019, in Chicago) and the annual A3 Business Forum (January 14-16, 2019, in Orlando). For more information, visit: A3 www.A3automate.org. AIA www.visiononline.org. MCMA www.motioncontrolonline.org. RIA www.robotics.org.