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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the automotive industry is all-encompassing, with reverberations to be felt for much time to come. Across the world companies and individuals are desperate to reconnect face-to-face, but also accept that this is a time for innovation and adaptation to new circumstances. As a conference built by engineers, scientists, and automotive experts, AutoSens has looked to their community to determine the direction of their events in 2020.

The Sense Media team has gathered data via a market-wide survey, with just 17% of respondents expecting to travel for conferences or trade shows in 2020. Conversations with customers, contacts and the wider events industry also reflected this trend. The research clearly indicated that a physical event would be significantly diminished in size and lacking in the rich diversity of international attendees that gives AutoSens its value.

To best serve the AutoSens community in 2020, Sense Media Group will take both the Brussels and Detroit events fully online. “Going online now provides clarity and purpose for the next 6 months, and the opportunity to dedicate all our energy and resource to making AutoSens a best in class online platform for learning, networking, discussion and showcasing the latest innovations in ADAS and autonomous vehicle technology“, said Robert Stead, Founder of AutoSens.

A fully interactive conference experience

Learning from the recent AutoSensONLINE series, AutoSens is building an online experience that is set apart from webinars, zoom calls and other screen-time interactions. With the best elements of the physical events –

• The high-quality technical content and discussion, available both live and on demand
• Excellent networking opportunities with senior technical experts from throughout the supply chain
• An engaging and informative technology showcase

And adding to this some new features that make the most of being online –

• Access to a much larger international audience
• ‘Always on’ engagement, not limited to just the days of the conference
• Enhanced analytics and lead generation for sponsors and exhibitors
• Improved, targeted networking features at the touch of a button

Taking AutoSens in Brussels and Detroit online

The Brussels and Detroit editions of AutoSens will run over a nine-week period from September through to November. The focus will be on the same in-depth, high quality technical content that is synonymous with the AutoSens brand, all delivered through an interactive online event platform. Plenaries and two full agendas of technical sessions will be split across the nine-weeks, interspersed with half-day expert tutorials, which are available with an AutoSensLEARN ticket.

To find out more about what to expect, click here >>

Sense Media’s promise to partners

From the start, Sense Media’s mission statement has been to stick with their industry partners through thick and thin. The events do not exist without the community, so all decisions are based on doing what’s right to support their objectives. Robert Stead says; “Of course we’ll all miss the some of the social aspects of events and we know there will be disappointment about not meeting in person, but we must all adapt to the circumstances we are presented with and I can say with confidence that we’re planning a full roster of physical events in 2021 – all enhanced with the online features we are launching and optimising throughout 2020.”

The AutoSens team will be engaging with speakers, exhibitors and sponsors over the coming weeks to answer questions and explain how the online Brussels and Detroit editions of AutoSens are going to be even bigger, better and a more globally connected experience than ever before. Stead says: “Sense Media remains dedicated to serving our community, and we invite you to join us on this journey as we learn together how to keep our businesses and careers moving onwards and upwards in the new world. Personally, I’m excited to be developing new ways to increase scale and engagement within the AutoSens engineering community.”