Convergence 2000 Sets New Attendance Records

24 October 2000
Convergence 2000 Sets New Attendance Records
        Participants, Exhibitors, Exhibition Space Hit All-Time Highs

                  More Than $900,000 Donated to Area Schools

    DETROIT, Oct. 24 Convergence 2000, the world's premier
automotive electronics conference, shattered all previous attendance records
with 10,064 participants attending the three-day event at Detroit's Cobo
Center.  This was more than double the attendance of the last Convergence
conference two years ago.
    Held October 16-18 and hosted by Delphi Automotive Systems ,
Convergence 2000 also boasted a record 176 state-of-the-art exhibits (an
increase of 130 percent) and 70,000 square feet of exhibit space (an increase
of almost 220 percent from 1998).  In addition, nearly 240 journalists from
broadcast and print outlets around the world were on hand to cover Convergence
2000, compared to 81 journalists in 1998.
    Featuring 13 leading-edge technical sessions and 75 breakthrough research
papers, Convergence 2000 provided the backdrop for industry leaders to
participate in a global forum that focused on the theme:  "Automotive
Electronics - Delivering Technology's Promise."
    This comes 26 years after the first Convergence made its debut in 1974
with 300 participants.  At that time, the only standard electronic components
on most automobiles, other than entertainment systems, were alternators and
voltage regulators.
    "The tremendous strides we've made in automotive electronics have created
greater awareness of our industry and the impact we have on consumers'
everyday lives," said J.T. Battenberg III, chairman, CEO and president of
Delphi Automotive Systems, and chairman of Convergence 2000.  "We've promised
a lot of things, and now it's time to live up to those promises.  If there's
one message that came out of Convergence 2000, it's that we must continue to
work hard to meet the challenges of creating vehicles that are safer, cleaner
and more affordable.  We look forward to what the next 24 months will hold and
what we can expect at Convergence 2002."
    Experts agree that automotive electronics will play an important role in
the new millennium.  In fact, recent predictions are that the value of
electronic systems could grow from an average of 22 percent of vehicle content
today, to as much as 40 percent by 2010.
    To support the growing "convergence" between the automotive and
electronics industries, Convergence 2000 boasted an impressive list of keynote
speakers from both arenas.  They included Scott McNealy, CEO, Sun
Microsystems; Shoichiro Irimajiri, representative director and vice chairman,
Sega Enterprises; Carly Fiorina, CEO, Hewlett-Packard; C. Michael Armstrong,
CEO, AT&T; John F. "Jack" Smith, chairman of the board, General Motors
Corporation; and William Ford, Jr., chairman of the board, Ford Motor Company.
    At the closing ceremonies of the three-day event, Battenberg announced
that based on Convergence 2000's record attendance, more than $900,000 of the
proceeds will be donated to the Convergence Education Foundation, an
initiative designed to increase the number of grade school students who choose
science or mathematics as a lifelong career.  Since its inception in 1994, the
CEF has awarded $1 million in grants to elementary, junior high and high
schools in Michigan and Ohio.  This year's gift will nearly double the
combined proceeds from the previous three conferences.
    The next biennial Convergence conference will be held October 21-23, 2002
at Cobo Center in Detroit and will be hosted by DaimlerChrysler.
    Convergence 2000 is sponsored by the Convergence Transportation
Electronics Association (CTEA), which founded the conference more than 25
years ago; the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and, the
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).  Proceeds from the conference benefit
the Convergence Education Foundation (CEF), a nonprofit organization devoted
to developing a passion for mathematics and science in school-aged children.
    For more information, visit the Convergence 2000 web site at
http://www.convergence2000.org .