From July 12-14, 2022, SEMICON West was back in full swing after the COVID years, and while I’m not certain about activities and overall energy on the show floor, I do know the Kiterocket Lounge was humming with activity once again.
As we had done in years prior to COVID, our team turned the two small restaurants and loggia atop Moscone North into an amazing hospitality suite for our clients who sponsor the Kiterocket Lounge. We offered several sponsorship options based on seating configurations, the number of tables, and guests. The spaces are branded with sponsor logos and table-top signage in their area. We cater breakfast and lunch and offer beverages all day. Participating clients can host meetings, and meet with the media… It’s like their base camp.
In addition to client meetings and meals, several other feature activities made the lounge even busier. On Tuesday evening after the first day of the lounge, we hosted our annual Kiterocket SEMICON West After-Party. As in previous years, we had a great turnout with over 400 invited guests, and everyone enjoyed seeing each other in person and catching up. As usual, it was a great time, but it was even sweeter after the two-year hiatus.
To kick off this year’s party in style, we partnered with SEMI to host a press event on the Howard Street Lookout Patio adjacent to our core lounge area. Welcoming words from SEMI CEO, Ajit Manocha kicked off the event and he offered a preview of the Sustainability Summit that took place on Wednesday, July 14. Following that, SEMI officially introduced its new SEMI North America President, Joe Stockunas to the gathered press. Stockunas offered a few words of his own and was available for questions from the media.
On Wednesday evening, we partnered with 3D InCites to host the first-ever formal SemiSisters event, “Drinks for DEI.” The goal of the evening was to solicit ideas for raising funds for the DEI Start-up Fund, established to help tech start-ups owned by women- and under-represented minorities grow and thrive. The event was well attended, and several great ideas were submitted to push along this worthy cause.
The same evening at the other end of our lounge, one of our clients hosted an anniversary party. The centerpiece of that party was a whiskey-tasting event. As you might imagine, it went down smoothly. In all, it’s not a stretch to say the Lounge was busting at the seams that evening.
Thursday proved to be much calmer. Some of our client team members began to depart late-morning to mid-day. We still catered breakfast and lunch for all those remaining and their meeting guests.
Overall, it was great to be back at SEMI, working the lounge, and seeing very satisfied clients enjoying their space. A lot of planning and work went into setting up and running the lounge, but it seemed to go off without a hitch. As an executive from one of our clients put it, “There’s no better place to be at SEMICON than right here at the lounge.” Well said, sir.
