More than 7600 microwave and RF designers, researchers, developers, academics, executives and exhibitor staff convened at Montréal’s Palais des Congrès June 17-22 for the IEEE MTT-S 2012 International Microwave Symposium (IMS2012).

IMS2012 saw strong involvement from the international microwave community, reinforcing the theme of “Microwaves without Borders.” The symposium included representation from 57 countries, with the most participants from the United States (46%) and Canada (17%). There was also significant growth in attendees from China, which saw a 200% increase in attendees, along with increases in the number of attendees from multiple European countries, including Germany, France, U.K. and the Netherlands.

In addition to the international representation by attendees, IMS2012 received a record 1225 paper submissions from 49 different countries and welcomed 569 exhibitors from 21 countries who showcased their products and technologies.

“The collaboration of microwave and RF industry professionals from around the world was astounding,” said Dr. Ke Wu, general chair of IMS2012. “We saw incredible enthusiasm for the technical program, and all of our attendees, from our student competitors, to our workshop leaders, to our exhibitors, contributed to the huge success of the symposium.”

Of the total 4118 symposium registrants, 2653 registered for the technical program, and 1465 registered for the exhibits alone. The symposium featured Qualcomm President and Chief Operating Officer Steve Mollenkopf as the plenary session speaker and a closing session with Dr. Thomas H. Lee, Stanford University professor and director of the Microsystems Technology Office at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).

In addition to symposium’s robust technical program, IMS2012 celebrated the 60thanniversary of the Microwave Theory and Techniques Society (MTT-S), with a variety of historical sessions, a panel session with prominent MTT-S members, and an enhanced historical exhibit, among other events.

IMS2013 will be held June 2-7, 2013 at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. For more information, visit http://ims2013.mtt.org/.