SEMI mulls move of SEMICON/Europa; Geneva out, Munich in?

12/01/1996

SEMI mulls move of SEMICON/Europa; Geneva out, Munich in?

SEMICON/Europa, which has been held in Geneva for the last several years, may get a new home, depending on the results of a survey now being conducted by the SEMI show group. Munich is seen as the front-runner among alternative sites, though no decision on moving the show has been made.

Louis Harris and Associates has been hired to conduct the SEMI survey. About 500 show attendees and several hundred exhibitors from around the world will be interviewed, said a SEMI spokesman. They will be quizzed on their opinions of the Palexpo site in Geneva, and on what alternate sites they would be interested in. "The data will be fodder for discussion," said the spokesman.

While the Palexpo facility itself receives generally high marks, the cost of accommodations and meals in Geneva is quite high. It is also less convenient than the previous location in Zurich for attendees from Germany and North America. Rumors of a move have circulated for several years.

The spokesman confirmed that Rick Heim, SEMI`s vice president of expositions and operations, has held discussions with the Munich Messe organization, which operates that city`s exhibition facility, but added, "There are no commitments or anything. Munich is probably the front-runner as an alternative site, but one issue is that at the new facility, the show would have to be in adjacent buildings rather than under one roof." This is one of the points that will be covered in the survey, he noted.

A preliminary report will be submitted in late 1996 or early 1997, with a "digestion period" following, said the spokesman. "We`ll probably release the results later in `97." - P.N.D.