16-18 April 2024
EPIC AGM & SUMMIT 2024
Juan Les Pins, Nice, France



This is EPIC’s premier executive event, with attendance consisting primarily of CEOs. 85% of the 300 participants are CEOs, from 30 countries, 10% traveling from overseas. This year we are combining the traditional EPIC AGM, dedicated for CEOs strategic topics (Innovation, Entrepreneurship, New Markets, Investment, etc.) and the World Technology Summit oriented to CTOs to discuss the challenges, trends and opportunities in photonics technologies. But, this is foremost an exceptional and amazing networking event!
PARTICIPANTS: Received biography and company descriptions are available HERE and a full list of participants is available HERE

REGISTRATION: The event is mainly on invitation, if you have not received a direct personal invitation or are unsure if you are welcome to attend, please contact Carlos. If your company is not member but you would like to participate, please contact Lidia. The event is open to EPIC members, photonics integrators and end-users, and invited participants, preferably but not strictly limited to 1 participant per company.

VENUE: The event is taking place at the Palais des Congres of Juan-Les-Pins located 20 minutes by car or train from the airport of Nice, the second best connected airport of France allowing convenient access for international travelers. Juan-les-Pins, a town in the commune of Antibes, is known for its long sandy beaches and seafront promenade. The ideal venue to host the inaugural EPIC SUMMIT!

Address: Palais des Congrès Antipolis – 60 Chemin des Sables 06160 Antibes, FRANCE

TRANSPORTATION: instructions  for Nice Airport “Saint Augustin” direct train to Juan-les-Pins are available HERE

ACCOMMODATION: Please click HERE to book your hotel for the event, you will be redirected to the hotel platform created for the EPIC Summit. There are 1000 hotel rooms within 10-minutes walk, from 3 to 5 stars accommodation.

WHAT TO SEE: Recommendation on what to see in Juan-les-Pins are available HERE

EXHIBITION: There is room for 30 exhibitors. Exclusively for members of EPIC. See Exhibition and Sponsorship Package 

SPONSORSHIP: We very much welcome, and rely on the support of sponsors to organize such a quality event at a reasonable price. Exclusively for members of EPIC. See Exhibition and Sponsorship Package 

 

Speakers & Programme

The event is mainly on invitation, if you have not received a direct personal invitation or are unsure if you are welcome to attend, please contact EPIC before registering.

EPIC AGM & SUMMIT 2024

15 April 2024, Monday

18:30 – 22:30 Pre-event dinner for participants to company visit + cluster meeting + EPIC BoD (location: AC Hotel by Marriott Ambassadeur Antibes – Juan les Pins)

16 April 2024, Tuesday

EPIC AGM Annual General Meeting (EPIC-MEMBERS ONLY)

09:00-12:00 (welcome coffee at 08:30) EPIC BoD meeting (on invitation only) at Palais des Congres, Juan-Les-Pins. Top floor, room “FITZGERALD 1″
09:00-12:00 (welcome coffee at 08:30) Cluster meeting (on invitation only) at Palais des Congres, Juan-Les-Pins. Top floor, room “FITZGERALD 2″
09:30-12:30 Company visit to Thales Alenia Space (fully booked on-invitation)

12:00-13:30 Registration & Networking Lunch & Exhibition

13:30 Welcome by Basil Garabet, CEO, NKT Photonics, and President of EPIC – European Photonics Industry Consortium
13:45 Annual Activity Report 2023 presented by the EPIC Marketing Team
13:55 Upcoming activities presented by the EPIC Technology Team
14:15 Voting approval of EPIC financial accounts 2023 + Auditor report

14:30 – 15:15 Session Advocacy (EPIC-MEMBERS ONLY)

14:30 Elizabeth Illy, Head of Marketing, HÜBNER Photonics (Sweden) – Embracing Sustainability – Where do we start?
14:45 Update on HR + Day of Photonics
15:00 Markus Wilkens, Head of Operations, Photonics21 (Germany)

15:15 – 16:30 Networking Coffee Break & Exhibition

16:30 – 18:00 Session Entrepreneurship, Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness (EPIC-MEMBERS ONLY)

16:30 Berthold Schmidt, CTO, TRUMPF (Germany) – Short Pulse Lasers: From Tin Droplets to Secondary Sources
16:50 Axel Kupisiewicz, CEO, LASEA (Belgium) – From Idea to Business: an Entrepreneurial Path to Success in the Laser Processing Industry
17:10 Michael Heuken, VP Advanced Technologies, Aixtron (Germany) – 40 years of innovation: lessons learned in epitaxial technology and related business
17:30 Eicke Weber, Chair European Solar Manufacturing Council, Former Director Fraunhofer ISE, Prof. Emeritus UC Berkeley, (Germany) talk on Photovoltaic manufacturing competitiveness
17:50 Closing Remarks by Carlos Lee

18:00 EPIC SUMMIT OPENS – ALL PARTICIPANTS WELCOME

18:00-21:00 Networking Dinner all participants

21:00-22:00 (optional) FUN Night – a session where entrepreneurs share stories about the challenges and setbacks they’ve encountered in the journey of growing their businesses. Individuals discuss their missteps, setbacks, and failures openly and honestly.

17 April 2024, Wednesday

06:55 Gather at Palais des Congrès
07:00-08:15 Run/Walk 45 minutes and Breakfast @ Le ruban Bleu Juan-Les-Pins (you are expected to participate!)
08:30-09:30 Registration & Networking Coffee Break & Exhibition
09:30-17:00 EPIC SUMMIT 2024

09:30-11:00 EPIC SUMMIT Market Track

  • Welcome by Carlos Lee, Director General, EPIC
  • Andrew Brown, Senior Director, SPIE (USA/Global) – Global Market Trends in the Photonics Industry
  • Claire Valentin, Chief Strategy Officer, Exosens (France)
  • Benoît d’Humières, Partner, Tematys (France) talk on Market Trends in Photonics

11:00-12:00 Networking Coffee Break & Exhibition

12:00-13:00 EPIC SUMMIT Business Track I

  • Sanjai Parthasarathi, Chief Marketing Officer, Coherent (USA) – Photonics Market – Dynamics, Opportunities and Challenges
  • Chris Yates, Partner, Vision Ventures (United Kingdom/Germany) talk on Market Trends in Vision industry
  •  Thomas Plees, Senior Director Strategic Sourcing & Procurement, ASML (Netherlands) talk on Sourcing suppliers

13:00-14:30 Networking Lunch & Exhibition

14:30-16:00 EPIC SUMMIT Business Track II

14:30 Jennifer Cable, President, Thorlabs (USA) talk on Photonics, Sustainability
14:50 Laurent Samama, Managing Partner, Jolt Capital (France) talk on Innovation & Investment
15:10 Ownership Models panel discussion:

  • Ingolf Cedra, Managing Director, Hübner Group (Germany) talk on Investment
  • Chantal Germain, Head of Photonics Division, HEF Groupe (France) talk on Investment
  • Georg Draude, General Manager, Chroma Technology (Germany) – Peter Pan Optical

15:50 INVESTMENT PITCHING SESSION companies looking for investment (short 2-3 minutes pitch) + investors introduction
16:00 EPIC CEO Award 2024
16:15-17:30 Exhibition
17:45 Busses to dinner venue @ IT Villaggio + Group picture
18:00-22:00 Networking Dinner + Return by bus

18 April, Thursday

07:00-07:30 Swim (optional) in front of Le Café de la Plage
08:00–09:00 Welcome Coffee & Exhibition

09:00-10:30 EPIC SUMMIT Technology Track I

  • Sir David Payne, Professor, University of Southampton (United Kingdom) – The Hollow-core Fibre Revolution: Nothing is Better than Silica!
  • Arvind Patel, CEO, SLTL (India) talk on Laser
  • Tomotaka Katsura, Senior Manager of Solid State Laser Development Section, Laser System Department, Mitsubishi Electric (Japan) talk on Lasers
  • Benjamin Bernard, Application Engineer, DISCO HI-TEC Europe talk on Semiconductor

10:30-11:30 Networking Coffee Break & Exhibition

11:30-13:00 EPIC SUMMIT Technology Track II

  • Gareth Hesketh, Group Leader – EO Technologies, MBDA (United Kingdom) talk on Defense
  • Philippe Chanclou, Team Manager Fixed Access Networks, Orange Labs (France) talk on Datacom
  • Pim Kat, CEO, Amazec Photonics (Netherlands) talk on Medical
  • Jacob Riis Folkenberg, VP Technology, FOSS Analytical (Denmark) talk on Food and Agriculture
  • Closing Remarks by Carlos Lee, Director General, EPIC

13:00–15:00 Networking Lunch & Exhibition

15:00 END OF EPIC SUMMIT 2024

15:00-19:00 Social Programme (optional, additional payment required 150 EUR + VAT). Pétanque & Aperitif of Provence at Mougins Village (includes bus transportation). Please see more details and register for this activity HERE.

 

Speakers
Michael Heuken
VP Advanced Technologies at Aixtron
Chief Marketing Officer at Coherent
President at Thorlabs
Laurent Samama
Managing Partner at Jolt Capital
Managing Director at Hübner Group
Head of Photonics Division at HEF Groupe
Vice President Technology at FOSS Analytical
Team Manager Fixed Access Networks at Orange Labs
Senior Director Strategic Sourcing & Procurement at ASML
General Manager at Chroma Technology
Senior Director at SPIE
Head or Marketing at HÜBNER Photonics
Application Engineer at DISCO HI-TEC Europe
Head of Operations at Photonics21
Gareth Hesketh
Group Leader - Electro-Optic Technologies at MBDA
Tomotaka Katsura
Senior Manager of Solid State Laser Development Section, Laser System Department at Mitsubishi Electric
Attendees

More attendees will be announced soon.

Exclusive partner for the run
Gold
Annual General Meeting sponsors
Bronze
Networking Reception Sponsors
Programme Manager
Coordination
Carlos Lee
Carlos Lee
Director General
Event Manager
Logistics, venue, accommodation, and transportation
Vera Koniukhova
Vera Koniukhova
Events Manager
Media Partner/s
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