The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) is a professional standards development organization for the engineering of self-powered vehicles of all kinds, including cars, trucks, boats, and aircraft.
Started as the Society of Automobile Engineers in 1905 with only 30 members, the society grew to 1800 members by 1916. That year, representatives from the American Society of Aeronautic Engineers, the Society of Tractor Engineers, and representatives from the power boating industry made a pitch to have SAE oversee technical standards in their industries as well.
As a result, SAE expanded its mission to cover all forms of self-powered transport. The word "automotive" was then coined by a member to describe all self-powered vehicles, and the name was changed.
A century later, the Society of Automotive Engineers now represents the collective knowledge of about 85,000 engineers, technical professionals, academics, and government representatives in 97 countries.
SAE International has established many widely-followed standards, but the most familiar to the average American consumer are its standards for measuring automobile power in units of horsepower and its motor oil classification standards.
For four days each year, SAE holds its World Congress in Detroit, Michigan - where novice and veteran industry professionals meet, enhance core knowledge, and gain invaluable exposure to the people and dialogue that shape the industry, and in many ways, the world.
The annual SAE World Congress is held at the Cobo Exhibition Center in Detroit, Michigan. The 2007 dates are April 16-19. Toyota is the host company in 2007 with the theme being "Engineering for Global Sustainable Mobility - It's up to us".
The SAE Detroit Section is the largest SAE section with over 17,000 members from southeastern Michigan. In addition to the prime networking opportunities, the popular Detroit Section Meeting features industry product introductions. The event is open to both industry and SAE members during SAE World Congress week. Ticket-holders to the Detroit Section Meeting are also customarily invited to attend the social hour prior to the meeting, providing them a perfect opportunity to interact with engineering professionals and other peers.
The 2006 SAE World Congress was the first to feature the OEM/Supplier Park, which featured the participation of BMW, Ford, GM, DaimlerChrysler and Toyota. The unprecedented OEM participation sparked more suppliers to exhibit. In addition to long-time supporters such as Aisin, AVL and FEV, companies such as Lear, Behr and Continental chose to be part of the OEM/Supplier Park in its first year.
The 2006 SAE World Congress was held at Cobo Center in Detroit and attracted 35,114 registered attendees from 47 countries. U.S. attendees represented 49 states (all but Hawaii). 18% of attendees came from corporate engineering management and 40% was drawn from OEMs and tier-one suppliers. Attendance for the 2005 SAE World Congress was 35,908.
The SAE World Congress' grand finale is a banquet with, typically, a high-level keynote speaker from industry or government. The event is regularly a sell-out, so tickets should be obtained early.
The immediate downtown Detroit hotels are often filled during "SAE Week", but even if a room can be found, participants who want to see more of the area may prefer to find hotel rooms in the near Detroit suburbs. The Somerset Inn in Troy, Michigan is located just 20 miles up I-75 from Cobo Center and is in the midst of suburban Detroit's finest business and shopping district. The selection of shops and restaurants at and around the Somerset complex is outstanding.
SAE participants may call the Somerset Inn directly (1-800-228-TROY) for rates for the SAE World Congress or make hotel reservations online. Booking early is recommended as the event and the Troy area hotels are quite popular.
Reserve a room at Somerset Inn, an elegant Troy, MI hotel accommodation
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