Events. SPIE, the Washington state-based international society for optics and photonics, has agreed to purchase Xmark Media, the organiser of key photonics exhibitions and conferences in the UK including Photonex Europe, Vacuum Expo, Graphene Expo, and a range of regional photonics roadshows and university exhibitions. The acquisition expands SPIE activities in Europe, adding to established technical events in locations including Germany, France, and the Czech Republic.
The 27-year-old, two-day annual Photonex Europe highlights the latest technologies and developments in photonics, including biophotonics, fiber optics, imaging, lasers, microscopy, opto-electronics, and quantum photonics. The 2019 event will take place on October 9-10 in Coventry, UK. It is believed that the family-owned Photonex has annual revenue of some £500k.
Xmark Media started life as a mobile exhibition company which ‘toured’ UK industry for years, covering brewing, food, nuclear power, pharmaceuticals, water and other vertical market sectors, before launching Photonex in 1992. SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, founded in 1955. It serves 257,000 constituents from 173 countries, offering conferences, continuing education, books, journals, and a digital library. It is also the leading global organizer of optics and photonics events. Its flagship, SPIE Photonics West, is held annually in San Francisco.
