Mark LaPedus Dylan McGrath EE Times (07/07/2009 7:10 PM EST)

3. Where are the parties?

Like all industry tradeshows, Semicon West has always been more than just a place to visit booths, gather brochures and place orders for equipment. One of its essentials functions has been to serve as an industry gathering place, where representatives can network, gossip and show off, often by throwing elaborate parties.

In 2000, for example, Semicon West might have been mistaken for Spring Break at South Padre Island. There were elaborate parties at nightclubs, museums and hotels. Rules governing who could attend were often loose, and sometimes non-existent. Big PR firms with a strong presence in the equipment industry tried to one up each other in levels of extravagance.

In keeping with the more subdued economic times, the roster of parties in 2009 is considerably less impressive. Gone is the huge party hosted for several consecutive years at the Museum of Modern Art by Loomis Group Inc. Another firm, MCA, has abandoned its more than a decade-long tradition of hosting a party at the Fairmont Hotel on the eve of the show in favor of a presumably more subdued affair at a San Francisco restaurant.

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4. Semicon West follows the East

Once upon a time, Semicon West was the place to be, that is, when the event was held at the San Mateo fairgrounds back in the good ole days. In those days, back in the 1970s and 1980s, the vendors brought the actual equipment to the show floor. There were a slew of equipment buyers. And deals were struck in the back rooms. During one Semicon West in the mid-1980s, I (Mark LaPedus) can remember when Intel Corp. selected LTX Corp. as its main test vendor, thereby kicking out Teradyne Inc. It was dramatic stuff.

Those days are long gone. Now, the show is held in San Francisco. Few--if any equipment--is seen at the show. Fewer buyers show up. And large equipment deals are seldom heard. The drama has also waned.

Semicon West is no longer the granddaddy of the fab tool shows. Basically, Semicon West is where the industry talks to itself. Some often wonder about the future of the event. For some time, many vendors wonder why they need a booth at Semicon West. A large number have even thought about pulling out of the event.

After all, the real fab tool action is basically located in Asia. IBM, Intel, NXP, ST and other big IDMs in Europe and the U.S. still buy gear. But frankly, most fab tool vendors pay more attention to the shows in Asia. The Semicon shows in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan are much bigger deals. Unlike the U.S. and European shows, process engineers flock to the events in Asia.

But let's give SEMI credit. SEMI, the trade show organization that backs Semicon, has made ''West'' relevant again. The move to combine Semicon West and Intersolar into one event was a stroke of genius. There are a large number of solar startups in Silicon Valley, many of which even have factories in the area. I assume the solar crowd in Silicon Valley attends the show.

And so what will happen to Semicon West in the future? It will rise and fall and rise again. It remains relevant. Still, the big shows will still remain in the East.

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