Electronic Specifier is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2026, marking two decades of change across the electronics industry and looking ahead to the technologies, people, and ideas that will shape the next 20 years.
The anniversary will be celebrated through a special edition of Electronic Specifier Design, a new film bringing together voices from across Electronic Specifier’s history, and a programme of activity at electronica 2026 – inviting the industry to be part of the milestone.
When Electronic Specifier launched in 2006, the electronics publishing landscape looked very different. Print remained dominant, digital media was still emerging, and many of the technologies that now shape everyday life were at very different stages of development.
Electronic Specifier entered that landscape as a digital-first media company rather than adapting an established print title for the web – an approach that distinguished the business from many of its contemporaries.
Reflecting on Electronic Specifier’s early years, Benoit Simonneau, 514 Media Director, said:
“I remember well Electronic Specifier’s humble beginnings back in 2007. Over the subsequent years, it established itself as a leading publishing group – one that consistently delivers high-quality content to engineering audiences. Happy birthday, and many happy returns!”
That willingness to evolve has remained central to the business.
“Our vision was never really to simply create a digital version of a print magazine. It was to build a platform and a portfolio of products that could evolve as technology evolved,” explains Electronic Specifier CEO Steve Regnier in the anniversary film.
Over the following two decades, Electronic Specifier has expanded its publications, digital platforms, events, and multimedia content, evolving to meet the changing needs of its readers and the industries it serves.
Karen Mascarenhas, Director, Mascarenhas PR said:
“Electronic Specifier is a publication that highlights such a broad spectrum of technology articles – offering the reader the experience of such an exciting vista on so many key subject areas and applications. It reflects the rapid rate of change in such sectors and encourages the reader to retain or access the publication’s past issues month after month whilst waiting in anticipation to see what comes through the following month.”
20 years of change
The industry Electronic Specifier reports on has undergone its own extraordinary transformation.
Electronics are now embedded across almost every aspect of modern life, while developments, including AI, are once again changing the way engineers research, code, design, and build.
The Electronic Specifier 20th Anniversary Edition will use the milestone to explore that transformation: looking at how the industry has changed, the lessons that can be taken from the past 20 years, and what the electronics landscape could look like 20 years from now.
A new anniversary short video precedes the special edition, bringing together the people behind Electronic Specifier to reflect on the beginnings of the business, the evolution of electronics publishing, the growing role of video and authentic content, and the importance of remaining connected to the industry face-to-face.
For Electronic Specifier, the anniversary is deliberately about more than looking backwards.
“We didn’t want our 20th anniversary to be purely retrospective. The electronics industry has changed enormously over the past two decades, and Electronic Specifier has evolved with it. This is an opportunity to celebrate that history, but also to bring together the people and companies we work with today and start a conversation about what the next 20 years will look like,” said Tess McKay, Marketing Director at Electronic Specifier.
From digital-first to video-first
Just as Electronic Specifier began by responding to the shift towards digital publishing, the way technical audiences consume content continues to evolve.
Video now forms an increasingly important part of Electronic Specifier’s editorial output, allowing its journalists to take audiences into conversations with the engineers and experts developing new technologies.
In the anniversary film, the editorial team reflects on the ability of video to communicate something written content cannot always capture: allowing an audience to ‘read the room’, hear genuine enthusiasm, and see the human being behind highly technical subjects. Against a backdrop of increasingly prevalent AI-generated content, that human dimension is becoming more important, not less.
That emphasis on authenticity extends beyond video.
For Electronic Specifier, being physically present within the industry – meeting engineers, seeing technologies first-hand, and developing long-term relationships – remains as important in 2026 as it was 20 years ago.
Celebrating at electronica
There is therefore a natural place for the anniversary celebrations to come together: electronica 2026.
electronica was the first major trade show at which Electronic Specifier exhibited as a new publisher, with the company first exhibiting at the event around 2008. Its presence grew in subsequent years alongside its relationship with the organisers, and Electronic Specifier is now a long-standing, official media partner of the show.
In 2026, Electronic Specifier will return to Munich with its anniversary issue, editorial and video teams, and a programme of activity celebrating the people and companies that have been part of its story.
“electronica feels like the natural place to bring the anniversary to life. It’s been part of Electronic Specifier‘s story almost from the beginning, and this year we’re inviting the industry to be part of the celebration with us – through the anniversary issue, through video and, most importantly, by meeting us in Munich,” said Paige Hookway, Managing Editor, Electronic Specifier.
That face-to-face connection is something the team believes has become more valuable rather than less. The interruption to physical events during the pandemic demonstrated what digital alternatives could offer, but also what they could not replace. As the anniversary film explores, the industry quickly returned to meeting in person once events reopened.
Be part of the next chapter
The anniversary celebrations will launch in September and continue through electronica in November, with the special issue, film, archive content, and stories from across Electronic Specifier‘s 20 years.
Electronic Specifier is also inviting companies from across the electronics industry to become part of the celebration.
The 20th Anniversary Edition will offer opportunities for organisations to share their own expertise, technologies, and perspectives as Electronic Specifier explores the developments shaping the industry’s next chapter.
At electronica, the Electronic Specifier team will also be producing video content from the show, giving companies the opportunity to bring their technology and people directly to its engineering audience through authentic, face-to-face interviews.
Nick Walker, Media Director at NW Media Consultants Ltd, said:
“We’ve worked with Electronic Specifier for almost 17 years, and throughout that time they have consistently delivered outstanding service. Their industry knowledge, professionalism, and genuine commitment to customer satisfaction set them apart. Nothing is ever too much trouble, and they always go the extra mile to ensure every advertising and PR campaign meets our expectations. It’s refreshing to work with a publishing partner that truly understands customer service and is dedicated to achieving the best possible results for its clients.”
Watch the 20th anniversary film and discover the story behind 20 years of Electronic Specifier:
Be part of the 20th Anniversary Edition, or create video content with Electronic Specifier at electronica 2026. Review opportunities available at the show here.
Spaces are limited so reach out to sales@electronicspecifier.com directly.
