Frequently Asked Questions

What are FSA Suppliers Forum and Networking Series events?

The Suppliers Forum and Networking Series events offer fabless companies, IDMs and OEMs the opportunity to receive information on various products, services, and solutions on the market that address their business needs.  The half-day events feature up to five vendors per track and include two or three tracks. Track 1 includes topics previously included in FSA BMS Forums, while additional tracks include topics previously included in the FSA Semiconductor Forum. The events conclude with a complimentary cocktail reception.

What types of products and solutions are highlighted at the Forums?

The forums are held several times per year. Each forum focuses on a specific business process or class of product or service. The forums that are taking place in 2007 are:

Track 1:

• Yield Management Software
• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
• Fabless Supply Chain Management (FSCM) Software

Tracks 2/3:

• Assembly and Test Services
• Design Software Services
• Foundry Services
• Intellectual Property (IP) Providers

What is the typical agenda at the events?

Registration opens at 11:30 a.m., and the presentations begin at 1:00 p.m.. Up to five vendor presentations per track of 50 minutes each, including setup and dismantling in the presentation room, are followed by a cocktail reception.

How are the presenter time slots determined?

Presenter time slots are determined by random draw.

What is the 2007 series venue?

The events will take place at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

What is the room layout? What is the AV setup?

• The layout for attendee seating is classroom style (long rectangular tables with chairs).
• There is a podium/microphone/screen at the front of the room for presenters.
• Typically presenters put their laptop on the podium and control it from there. However, if you’re working in a team (one speaker, one person controlling the laptop), a laptop sitting on the first table can easily reach the LCD and can be controlled by a second person sitting in the audience.
• For an LCD, there will be a Sanyo XP41 LCD electronic projector (native resolution: XGA 1024 x 768), a screen and a microphone podium. If your presentation has a lot of detail you want to show, you’re welcome to bring your own LCD with greater resolution.
• There will be a few tables against the back wall for handouts/literature.
  

Will there be an Internet connection?

• If you need an Internet connection, you are responsible for setting it up and must pay any fees directly to the Santa Clara Convention Center (this is not covered in the fee paid to FSA). Please let FSA and/or N-Able Group know that you are arranging it. Although you are responsible for setup and payment, if another presenter at the same event also wants an Internet connection, FSA and/or N-Able Group can put you in contact with one another and you can probably share the cost.
  

What are the logistics?

• All presentations of the same track take place in the same room.
• As shown in the agenda, each presenter receives a time slot (50 minutes including a 5 minute transition period). Presenters should wrap up by 5 minutes before their time slot concludes. The next presenter is waiting outside. At the changeover, we will open the doors to the room, the next presenter will come into the room and walk to the front, plug in his/her laptop to the LCD, or set up his/her own LCD. The previous presenter will leave the room, and the presentation will begin.

When should presenters arrive ?

• Presenters should plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before their scheduled presentation time.

Should presenters bring handouts/literature?

It’s optional. We suggest that you do, but it’s entirely up to you.

We can help you hand out literature when your presentation begins, or you can leave materials at the back of the room for attendees to pick up.

Won’t my competitors see my presentation?

Although all the presentations of the same track take place in the same room, competitors are not allowed in each other’s presentations. When one company on the agenda begins to present, presenters and attendees from another company on the agenda must leave the room.

We also try to screen registrants for competitors and let them know that they will be unable to attend. Although we do a good job of this, sometimes people do slip through.

The exception to the restricted competitors rule is if they mutually consent that attendance is OK. If 2 competitors agree with each other that they can attend each other’s presentations, then they can notify us and we’ll allow them to attend. However, they can only attend presentations where they have received consent; any others remain restricted.

Please keep this competitor restriction in mind when telling people at your company about the event. They are welcome to attend, but they will only be able to attend your presentation.

Who will be in the audience?

Although these forums are sponsored by FSA and the primary focus is to benefit FSA members, anyone, whether a member of FSA or not, can attend. The past forums have had attendees from a broad spectrum of companies, including large IC companies with their own manufacturing, fabless IC companies, manufacturers, system integrators and others. The majority of attendees are fabless IC companies; these companies range in revenue from several million to one billion, with most falling between $50 to $250 million annually.

At past forums attendance, we had 50-75 companies attend with a total attendance in excess of 100. There were typically 40-80 people in the room at any given time.

What are some tips / guidelines to making a successful presentation?

What the audience wants to see and hear:

• What your products and services can do and how they can help fabless companies enhance customer satisfaction, increase profitability, improve internal manufacturing operations, manage more effectively, etc.
• They would like to hear about your fabless reference accounts and what your product or service has done for them. You may have your customers participate in your presentation if you like.
• Some demonstration of your product or service if possible/applicable.

Short demonstrations of the actual product or service during the presentation were very popular in past forums. It is highly suggested you do this. However, if possible, do it with product or service that resides locally (on your laptop or system you bring in). Trying to connect to servers over an Internet connection have had limited success (very slow or cannot connect at all), especially with 40-80 people watching you do it.

What are the milestones/events leading up to the forum?

Confirm that your company is interested in presenting.

Send contact information for the following people in your company: coordinator, presenters, billing (see below for specifics needed).

Send payment for the forum (see details below).

You will receive an updated list of attending companies weekly, beginning several weeks before the forum. This will help customize your presentation to your audience if you desire.

Several days before the forum, you will receive an estimated headcount of attendees. This is to help you plan the number of any handouts/literature.

What information is needed from presenters?

If you decide to participate, we need the following information sent to the FSA and/or N-Able Group contact listed below.

Coordinator - Name, Title, Email, Phone, Fax, Address

Presenters - Name, Title, Email, Phone, Mobile Phone, Fax, Address

Billing Coordinator - Name, Title, Email, Phone, Fax, Address

Will the presenters receive a list of attendees?

By FSA policy, attendee lists are not provided. We do suggest to request business cards or hold a raffle in youor session to collect them. You may have additional staff in your presentation collecting business cards.

What is the cost to present at a Suppliers Forum & Networking Series?

The cost to present at the forum is $1000 for FSA members, and $1500 for non-members.

The money is used to pay for the venue, AV equipment, refreshments and other expenses. It does NOT include an Internet connection. For more information on Internet connections, see the section above.

FSA is a not-for-profit organization so this forum is not being held to make a profit but rather for educational purposes.

Feedback from previous presenters indicates the forums have a large benefit/expense ratio. With typically over 50 companies in attendance, all in the semiconductor market, a company can significantly increase its presence and/or jump-start any new initiatives or projects in the industry.

Once a company confirms that it will be presenting, FSA will then bill the company. The presentation fee is due before the presentation date.

Questions?