JEC World 2020 preview

JEC World 2020 will be held March 3-5 in Paris, France. Source | CW

The 2020 iteration of JEC World, the largest composites-focused trade show, is coming next month and will be held March 3-5 at the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre in Paris, France. Event organizer JEC Group (Paris) says it expects more than 1,400 exhibitors and 45,000 attendees from 112 countries at this year’s show.

In addition to the exhibition itself, JEC World also includes several ancillary events and presentations. The JEC Innovation Awards, a staple of the show, are back and feature composite products and technologies focused on specific end markets, including aerospace, automotive, sports and recreation and more.

Also returning, for the fourth year, is the Startup Booster, a startup competition that recognizes innovations that offer significant impact on the industry and promotes them to decision-makers. The finalists will have their innovations showcased at JEC World’s Startup Hub.

The Innovation Planets will also be featured again, highlighting some of the latest composite innovations in four display areas, each focused on themes: Mobility, Aero & Space, Construction & Energy, and Sports & LifeStyle.

Among other events is the Composites Challenge, launched in 2018, which recognizes selected Ph.D. students for the quality of their composites research. Each researcher will present themselves and their ideas to an audience.

New this year are 3D printing and bio-based solutions hubs, designed to showcase the latest developments in these two domains from participating companies.

And, this year a dedicated zone will present 50 years of expansion in the composites industry across 15 application sectors. This retrospective is designed to put the potential of composite materials and technologies into a broader perspective.

In the technical conference at JEC World, presentations will focus on:

Eco-design, sustainability and recycling
Concrete and composites
Biomimicry
Carbon fiber
Artificial intelligence
Fiber and nano-reinforced materials for additive manufacturing

The Agora Stage at the exhibition hosts several well-known speakers who will share their vision of the composites market. Featured this year is French “Flying Man” and Flyboard inventor Franky Zapata, founder and CEO of the Zapata Co., who will talk about how innovative materials and engineering concepts can democratize personal air mobility.

Finally, for the second year, JEC Group will present the results of “JEC Observer, an Overview of the Composites Market, 2019-2023,” its overview of the broader composites marketplace.

For more information about JEC World 2020, and to register to attend, visit www.jec-world.events. A three-day visitor pass is €55 ($62), although a free pass can often be obtained from exhibitors. There is a separate fee for admission to the technical conference.