VIEWPOINT | LIVE NETWORKING AT THE SAE 2016 WORLD CONGRESS

This year’s SAE World Congress and Exhibition in Detroit on April 12-14 will bring together more than 11,000 automotive engineers from 40-plus countries. Attendees will be able to sit in on more than 1,500 technical presentations, take in numerous special events and enjoy technology on display at the Congress’ signature Innovators Only Exhibition in Detroit’s expanded and beautifully modernized Cobo Center.

Attendees also will do something they can’t accomplish online: network in person with peers, mentors and leaders from around the world. That unique opportunity simply cannot be found elsewhere, notes David Baxter, executive project manager at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America. As a representative of Toyota Motor Corp.—this year’s Executive Leadership for the SAE 2016 World Congress—Baxter knows firsthand the value of the event’s unique role as an unparalleled environment for in-person networking.

What makes networking at the SAE World Congress so valuable?

Today’s engineers are already instantly and constantly communicating on the job. But you still need face-to-face meetings, especially with peers outside the workspace, to expand your knowledge and grow your capabilities. SAE World Congress simply can’t be beat in this regard. That’s one reason why the theme of this year’s meeting is Powering Possibilities. We tell our engineers this is a chance to be a part of presentations with counterparts in your specific field. The opportunities to learn and enhance your career are unique.

I’ve been an SAE member for more than 25 years, and I’ve attended the Congress many, many times. I’ve formed a very valuable network of professional connections over the years, and going back enables me to re-connect with them. At work you interact closely with your team day in and day out. At the World Congress you have the chance to be one-on-one with people from all over the world. It knocks down barriers and gives you the opportunity to talk about the industry overall.

Is the appeal different for engineers just starting out and those with more experience?

Young engineers may feel they’ve been pigeonholed, and they’re not sure where their career is going. When they attend the World Congress, they can find out what other engineers are experiencing. It reminds them that they’re part of a larger population. There’s a camaraderie that goes beyond what they experience in the workplace.

If you’re a mid-career engineer, World Congress is a great opportunity to get out of the box and find out through the technical sessions what other top OEMs and suppliers are working on. Considering the future should be part of your job. It can be a real catalyst to move ahead. If you’re truly an engineer, there’s nothing more enlightening than to attend the Congress and see what your peers are doing. There’s so much going on in southeast Michigan, of course. But it’s happening all over the world too. World Congress gives you global exposure to all of it in one place.

What are some of the special attractions at this year’s Congress?

The Tech Hub is back, for one. For those who missed its debut last year, this is a unique venue on the Exhibit floor that features virtually non-stop, half-hour TED Talk-type presentations on a very broad range of mobility industry subjects. It’s definitely something to experience.

For big-picture discussions, there’s the AVL Technology Leadership Center, where senior executives and other thought leaders discuss big-picture strategy issues, and the FEV Innovation Forum, where panels of high-level technical managers will address advances in vehicle and propulsion system technologies.

There are events for young professionals, a career fair, recognition of new SAE Fellows, keynote speakers and of course the annual banquet. And let’s not forget the hundreds of technical presentations during the three-day Congress. They will be grouped into seven categories: integrated design and manufacturing, propulsion/powertrain, management and marketplace, electronics, materials, emissions/environment/sustainability and body/chassis/safety/structure.

What is Toyota planning for this year’s World Congress?

We will be showing our single-passenger, three-wheel i-Road vehicle, an electric personal mobility device for urban areas that’s actually being used now in Japan. It’s an enclosed step up from a motorcycle, and attendees will have a chance to drive it for themselves on a test track within Cobo Center.

Toyota also is initiating a special program for students at the seven engineering schools in Michigan that we hope will become a regular feature for the event. We’re going to pick up 50 students at each of the seven engineering schools in the area, bus them to and from the Congress and host them all day with meals and a chance to attend the technical sessions of their choice. We’ll have special ambassadors to usher them around the Exhibit so they can experience the technology being developed by the industry and of course Toyota. We’ll be telling them to bring their resumes!

We’re also proud that Toyota will be presenting more than 100 of the 1,500 technical papers at this year’s Congress. Many of our papers will focus on hybrids, fuel cells and other alternative powertrains, including the software used to model powertrain systems.

Click HERE to learn more about the SAE World Congress and Exhibition, or visit www.sae.org/congress.