6 Prototypes PIC Summit 26-29
Contents
1) EDCo-style Case Study (Final Prototype) 2) Future Scenarios 2026–2029 (3–5) 3) Event Delta Report (Top 5 stakeholders) 4) Empathy Maps (3) 5) Event Canvases (3) 6) Rollout Plan (Budget, RFP, Gantt, KPIs, Script, Risks)
1) EDCo-style Case Study (Final Prototype) 2) Future Scenarios 2026–2029 (3–5) 3) Event Delta Report (Top 5 stakeholders) 4) Empathy Maps (3) 5) Event Canvases (3) 6) Rollout Plan (Budget, RFP, Gantt, KPIs, Script, Risks)
1) EDCo-style Case Study — Final Prototype
Final prototype selected: P2
Conference-first (“content over floor”)
Eindhoven anchor location
Integrity firewall for sponsorship
Event context
PIC Summit Europe enters a next phase after four successful editions, accelerated by PhotonDelta. The strategic tension is clear: increase international attraction while protecting the conference identity (“content over floor”) and staying rooted in the Netherlands, preferably with Eindhoven as a fixed base.
Who is organising the change?
PhotonDelta (Event Owners: CEO & CFO) steers the transition from “sponsored community conference” to a mature, transparent platform model that becomes fully loaded cost-neutral by 2029 (including internal PhotonDelta hours). Quality is treated as the limiting constraint: growth is only allowed when it strengthens the conference experience.
What was the challenge?
Create 3–5 future scenarios (2026–2029) that keep the event conference-first, grow international pull, and anchor the week in Eindhoven as a recognizable home base. In parallel, professionalize the business model: 2026 allows a marketing/promotional injection (worst case PhotonDelta net cost within €100k–€150k, target €125k), with a credible route to fully loaded cost-neutrality by 2029. New forms of title sponsorship are encouraged, provided content integrity is protected by explicit governance.
Who are the main stakeholders?
- PhotonDelta leadership (CEO/CFO) — strategy, governance, financial transition.
- PIC ecosystem organisations (foundries, designers, integrators, packaging) — collaboration & roadmaps.
- OEM / End-users (automotive, data & telecom, medical, agrifood) — needs articulation, pilots.
- Semicon & industrial partners / title sponsors — scale, supply chain, funding with firewall.
- Policy makers & investors (with academia/knowledge institutes as feeders) — enabling actions.
The event delta (overarching)
PIC Summit Europe shifts from “a strong annual conference” to “the European decision moment” where OEM demand, PIC supply, semicon/industrial scale, and policy/capital converge—creating measurable collaboration throughput, clearer roadmaps, and a professional funding model that keeps content independent.
Event narrative
Eindhoven becomes the home base where the European photonics ecosystem recalibrates every year. Not with an expo floor as the hero, but with content that forces choices: which applications win, which standards accelerate adoption, which supply-chain constraints block scale, and which partnerships move the market from “promising” to “industrial”.
The summit is designed as a carefully curated decision-maker conference (80% invitation-only), built around a Future Scenarios Gallery. The week ends in commitments: pilots, roadmaps, and sponsorship contracts governed by a strict content firewall.
So how did they do that?
Experience journey (high level)
- Invite & curation: 80% invite-only; briefing packs for OEMs and ecosystem leaders.
- Pre-work: OEM Demand Brief intake + matchmaking; scenario voting.
- Summit days: scenario-led keynotes, “application proof” sessions, standards & scale clinics.
- Deal rooms: moderated 1:1 / 1:few meetings with owners and next steps.
- Umbrella week: partner-led labs/visits/satellites (with quality gates + governance).
- Post-event: 30/60/90 follow-up: pilot tracking, roadmap publication, sponsor renewal.
Instructional design (learning that changes behaviour)
- Knowledge learning: state of play per scenario (markets, adoption barriers, supply constraints).
- Attitude learning: from “nice tech” to board-level urgency via OEM cases and quantified needs.
- Skills learning: pilot framing, procurement readiness, standardization playbooks.
- People learning: curated exposure across OEM↔PIC↔Semicon↔policy/capital in clinics + deal rooms.
Design guardrails (non-negotiables)
- Quality > scale: growth only if experience KPIs improve.
- Content firewall: sponsorship ≠ program control; transparent committee and rules.
- Eindhoven anchor: fixed base, recurring ritual, community memory.
- 80% invitation-only: audience design is part of the product.
Next
2026 is the proof-of-model edition: scenario backbone + OEM demand engine + sponsor firewall + transparent costing. 2027–2029 scale by ecosystem throughput (pilots, standards velocity, sponsor retention), not by headcount alone.
2) Future Scenarios 2026–2029 (3–5)
| Scenario | Core question | What must the Summit prove? | Example indicators |
|---|---|---|---|
| S1 — Co-Packaged Optics goes mainstream | How do packaging and supply chain become the bottleneck (and solution) for scale? | Concrete cross-chain roadmap and priorities for packaging/assembly. | # roadmap commitments; # workstreams; # standards actions |
| S2 — Sovereignty & resilience | How does NL/EU stay relevant amid geopolitical supply shocks? | Resilience playbook and policy/investment commitments. | # policy actions; # funding signals; # resilient sourcing plans |
| S3 — OEM pull accelerates adoption | Which OEM requirements make PIC procurement-ready? | OEM Demand Briefs + moderated pilot funnel with owners. | # qualified briefs; # MOUs/LOIs; 30/60/90 follow-up rate |
| S4 — Standards race | Which standards accelerate interoperability and scale? | Standards clinics + concrete standards actions. | # standards initiatives; # commitments; time-to-draft |
| S5 — Sustainable photonics | How does sustainability become an adoption driver rather than only compliance? | Lifecycle metrics + application proofs + partner coalition. | # LCA use-cases; # KPIs adopted; # coalition sign-ups |
These scenarios function as programming lenses (not “themes”). Each edition selects 3–5 as the backbone.
3) Event Delta Report (Top 5 stakeholders)
Max 3 behavioural shifts per stakeholder. Format: Entering → Exiting → measurable change.
| Stakeholder | Entering behaviour (before) | Exiting behaviour (after) | Change (design goal + metric) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1) PhotonDelta leadership (CEO/CFO) | Edition-by-edition optimisation; ad-hoc sponsorship; limited fully-loaded transparency incl. internal hours. | Platform-owner governance: fully-loaded costing, sponsor firewall, and 2029 cost-neutral roadmap. |
|
| 2) OEM / End-users | Opportunistic exploration; unclear procurement-ready specs; few pilots. | Concrete needs, requirements and timelines; pilots launched; commit to 30/60/90 follow-up. |
|
| 3) PIC ecosystem | Siloed roadmaps; limited cross-chain alignment on scale and standards. | Cross-chain workstreams; shared roadmaps; concrete standards and scale priorities. |
|
| 4) Semicon / Industrial partners & Title sponsors | Brand-first expectations; pressure for influence; risk of content capture. | Multi-year partnership with integrity clauses; umbrella-week modules without program control. |
|
| 5) Policy makers & Investors | Fragmented view; limited commitments; weak connection to OEM pull. | Commit to enabling actions (policy, funding, theses) tied to scenarios and roadmaps. |
|
4) Empathy Maps (3)
Pre-event: SEE / THINK & FEEL / HEAR / SAY & DO / PAINS / GAINS. Post-event: SAY & DO only.
A) PhotonDelta leadership (CEO/CFO)
| Pre-event Empathy Map | |
|---|---|
| SEE | Growth pressure; international benchmarks; sponsor expectations; limited bandwidth. |
| THINK & FEEL | Protect quality; reach 2029 cost-neutrality with transparency; pride in NL anchoring. |
| HEAR | Ecosystem asks for international OEMs; sponsors want visibility; community wants content-first. |
| SAY & DO | Demands scenarios, governance, KPIs; seeks revenue without compromising integrity. |
| PAINS | Ad-hoc sponsorship; cost clarity incl. internal hours; trade-show drift risk; resourcing constraints. |
| GAINS | Repeatable platform; sponsor retention; measurable pilots/collabs; board-ready proof. |
| Post-event Empathy Map (SAY & DO) |
|---|
| Publishes scenario position and roadmap outputs; renews sponsors on multi-year with firewall; reports fully-loaded costing and cost recovery; runs 30/60/90 follow-up. |
B) OEM / End-user decision maker
| Pre-event Empathy Map | |
|---|---|
| SEE | Tech noise; many vendors; uncertainty on maturity, supply, and standards. |
| THINK & FEEL | Wants proof + procurement readiness; time-poor; needs reliable partners. |
| HEAR | Innovation push internally; procurement pushes risk reduction; peers talk pilots, little scale. |
| SAY & DO | Requests performance/roadmap; plans selective meetings; benchmarks suppliers. |
| PAINS | Unclear specs; R&D vs industrialization gap; fragmented conversations. |
| GAINS | Demand brief; shortlist; pilot start; clarity on standards and supply chain. |
| Post-event Empathy Map (SAY & DO) |
|---|
| Submits an OEM Demand Brief; commits to a pilot timeline; assigns an internal owner; schedules follow-ups with 2–3 ecosystem partners and standards outputs. |
C) Title sponsor / Industrial partner
| Pre-event Empathy Map | |
|---|---|
| SEE | A respected conference; access to decision makers; competition for “title”. |
| THINK & FEEL | Wants ROI and visibility; wants influence but fears backlash if content becomes commercial. |
| HEAR | PhotonDelta protects integrity; community hates pitches; sponsors want measurable outcomes. |
| SAY & DO | Negotiates deliverables; asks exclusivity; seeks relationships and pipeline. |
| PAINS | ROI uncertainty; limited activation in conference-first formats; reputational risk. |
| GAINS | Multi-year partnership; curated access; umbrella-week module ownership; KPIs without program control. |
| Post-event Empathy Map (SAY & DO) |
|---|
| Signs a multi-year deal with integrity clauses; delivers an umbrella-week module; measures ROI via the agreed KPI dashboard; renews based on stewardship impact. |
5) Event Canvases (3)
14 blocks: Pains, Gains, Entering, Exiting, Expectations, Experience Journey, Jobs to be Done, Instructional Design, Promise, Cost, Revenue, Satisfaction, Commitment, Return.
A) Event Canvas — PhotonDelta leadership (CEO/CFO)
| PAINS | Quality dilution risk; ad-hoc sponsorship; limited cost transparency; resource strain. |
|---|---|
| GAINS | Cost-neutral roadmap to 2029; global status; repeatable Eindhoven anchor; measurable ecosystem outcomes. |
| ENTERING BEHAVIOUR | Optimises each edition; negotiates sponsors yearly; manages growth pressure reactively. |
| EXITING BEHAVIOUR | Runs as platform owner: governance + firewall; multi-year sponsor ladder; fully-loaded costing; KPI dashboard. |
| EXPECTATION | Top conference quality; international growth without trade-show drift; sponsor cash without program control. |
| EXPERIENCE JOURNEY | Board briefing → scenario review → delivery walkthrough → commitment moments → 30/60/90 review. |
| JOBS TO BE DONE | Make PD strategy tangible; activate ecosystem; professionalize business model; create board-proof. |
| INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN | Scenario-led program; governance rituals; financial transparency artifacts; KPI review moments. |
| PROMISE | “Eindhoven is where Europe decides photonics scale.” |
| COST | Worst-case PD net cost within €100k–€150k (target €125k), incl. external hires; internal hours transparent. |
| REVENUE | Title sponsorship (cash floor €40k) + sponsor ladder + tickets (20%) + umbrella-week modules + partnerships. |
| SATISFACTION | Sponsor renewals + OEM pilots + workstreams; high “conference-first” rating. |
| COMMITMENT | Protect integrity; invest in curation + follow-up machine; enforce quality gates for satellites. |
| RETURN | Brand leadership + cost recovery trajectory + measurable ecosystem throughput. |
B) Event Canvas — OEM / End-user decision maker
| PAINS | Uncertain maturity; fragmented supply chain; unclear standards; hard internal business case. |
|---|---|
| GAINS | Procurement-ready briefs; trusted shortlist; pilot launch; standards & scale clarity. |
| ENTERING BEHAVIOUR | Scans options; books few meetings; asks for proof; keeps decisions open. |
| EXITING BEHAVIOUR | Submits Demand Brief; commits to pilot timeline; assigns owner; schedules 30/60/90 follow-ups. |
| EXPECTATION | No pitches; high signal; decision-maker access; practical answers and routes. |
| EXPERIENCE JOURNEY | Pre-intake → curated agenda → scenario sessions → demand room → deal rooms → post-event tracking. |
| JOBS TO BE DONE | Reduce uncertainty; validate partners; align internal stakeholders; move from interest to action. |
| INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN | Application proofs; standards clinics; moderated deal rooms; pilot framing templates. |
| PROMISE | “Leave with a pilot-ready path, not just inspiration.” |
| COST | Time (2–3 days) + opportunity cost; ticket (if non-invite); pre-work for demand brief. |
| REVENUE | Indirect: faster time-to-pilot; reduced supplier risk; better ROI decisions. |
| SATISFACTION | Right people met; clear next steps; concrete templates and commitments. |
| COMMITMENT | Share demand brief; attend deal rooms; appoint follow-up owner. |
| RETURN | Shortlist + pilot plan; standards clarity; stronger supplier relationships. |
C) Event Canvas — Title sponsor / Industrial partner
| PAINS | Hard to prove ROI; limited sales space; reputational risk from perceived influence. |
|---|---|
| GAINS | Multi-year stewardship partnership; curated access; umbrella-week module ownership; KPI dashboard. |
| ENTERING BEHAVIOUR | Negotiates deliverables; seeks exclusivity; wants visibility and leads. |
| EXITING BEHAVIOUR | Commits to integrity clauses; invests in enablement module; measures ROI; renews. |
| EXPECTATION | Professional partner experience; clear activation slots; measurable engagements. |
| EXPERIENCE JOURNEY | Onboarding → integrity briefing → module co-design → summit presence (non-pitch) → renewal moment. |
| JOBS TO BE DONE | Positioning; relationships; pipeline influence; long-term association with ecosystem leadership. |
| INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN | Stewardship formats with firewall; curated roundtables; module outcomes reporting. |
| PROMISE | “Be visible to the right people—without compromising the conference.” |
| COST | Cash + activation resources + senior time. |
| REVENUE | Pipeline influence; strategic partnerships; category leadership; renewal compounding. |
| SATISFACTION | Executive engagement; quality metrics; clear renewal rationale. |
| COMMITMENT | Respect firewall; deliver module; share ROI data; commit multi-year. |
| RETURN | Reputational lift + access + measurable engagement + renewal path. |
6) Rollout Plan
6.1 Budget model (2026 edition — working framework)
Framework that hard-codes constraints: worst-case PhotonDelta net cost within €100k–€150k (target €125k), 80% invite-only, title sponsorship cash floor €40k, and a route to fully-loaded cost-neutral by 2029.
| Budget block | In scope (fully loaded) | Steering variables | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venue + catering | Venue hire, F&B, security | Fixed Eindhoven base; service/comfort thresholds | Conference comfort (acoustics, flow) is a quality driver. |
| Production / AV | Stage, light, sound, recording | Scenario backbone needs strong storytelling | No expo build; premium conference production. |
| Program | Speakers, moderation, content ops | Firewall + program committee | Sponsors get formats, not control. |
| Staffing | Hosts, registration, runners | Invite-only service level; deal-room ops | VIP and deal-room flow is quality-critical. |
| Branding + design | Identity, signage, scenario gallery | Consistency of Eindhoven ritual | Minimal “expo”; maximal narrative clarity. |
| Platform + data | Matching, agenda, KPI dashboard | 30/60/90 follow-up machine | Measurement enables renewals and throughput. |
| Marketing / promotion | Campaign, PR, intl. outreach | Envelope: €100k–€150k (target €125k) | Targeted international pull, not mass marketing. |
Funding streams (toward 2029 cost-neutral)
- Title sponsorship: cash floor €40k + integrity clauses.
- Sponsor ladder: scenario partners, deal-room partners (no program control).
- Tickets: 20% paid segment aligned with premium positioning.
- Umbrella week modules: partner-led modules (paid or cost-shared).
- Partnerships: e.g., Tech Tour (co-programming, co-promotion).
6.2 RFP outline (suppliers)
| Workstream | RFP scope | Evaluation criteria (quality-first) |
|---|---|---|
| Venue (Eindhoven) | Plenaries, breakouts, deal rooms, catering flow, accessibility | Acoustics, flow, privacy, service level, contingency capacity |
| Conference production/AV | Stage design, sound/light, recording, showcalling | Clarity of content delivery, redundancy, speaker support |
| Registration + data platform | Invite workflows, matchmaking, KPI dashboard, GDPR | Reliability, usability, exportability, follow-up automation |
| Program ops | Speaker mgmt, moderation, scenario gallery build | Content quality control, time discipline, stakeholder experience |
| Brand/experience design | Identity, wayfinding, scenario exhibit (non-expo) | Restraint, clarity, premium conference feel |
6.3 Indicative Gantt — Oct/Nov 2026 delivery
| Phase | Timing | Milestones |
|---|---|---|
| Strategy & governance | Feb–Mar 2026 | Committee + firewall; scenario shortlist; cost model v1 |
| Partnering & sponsorship | Mar–Jun 2026 | Title sponsor; sponsor ladder; umbrella modules defined |
| Program build | Apr–Aug 2026 | Speakers confirmed; deal-room process ready; OEM intake opens |
| Audience curation | May–Sep 2026 | Invite waves; decision-maker ratio tracking; matchmaking briefs |
| Production & rehearsals | Sep–Oct 2026 | Showflow; gallery build; AV tests; staffing readiness |
| Event delivery | Oct–Nov 2026 | Summit + umbrella week; on-site KPI capture |
| 30/60/90 follow-up | Nov 2026–Feb 2027 | Pilot tracking; sponsor renewals; roadmaps published |
6.4 KPI set (quality-first)
| KPI | Target | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Invite-only decision-maker ratio | 80% | Seniority audit + role tracking |
| Conference quality score | High | Session ratings, NPS by stakeholder, no-pitch compliance |
| Pilot & collaboration throughput | Up | # briefs, # MOUs/LOIs, # workstreams, follow-up closure |
| Cost recovery trajectory | ≥80% | Fully-loaded costs covered + sponsor retention |
6.5 Script (2.5-day summit pattern + umbrella week)
- Day 0 (evening): Invite-only welcome + scenario gallery preview (high trust, low noise).
- Day 1: Scenario keynotes → application proofs → standards & scale clinics → curated networking.
- Day 2: OEM demand rooms → moderated deal rooms → commitment moments (workstreams/pilots).
- Day 3 (half day): Roadmap synthesis + publishing ritual (“what we will do next”).
- Umbrella week: Partner-led labs/visits/satellites (governed modules, not expo floor).
6.6 Risk assessment (and mitigations)
| Risk | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Quality dilution through growth | High | Hard caps per format; grow only if experience KPIs improve. |
| Sponsorship content capture | High | Integrity firewall + committee governance + audit trail. |
| International pull underdelivers | Medium | OEM demand engine + targeted outreach + partner amplification. |
| Deal room execution complexity | Medium | Dedicated ops lead; pre-briefs; moderation; owner-based follow-up. |
| Cost-neutral runway slips | Medium | Fully-loaded transparency; early sponsor ladder; quarterly checkpoints. |