Diversity of presenters and topics...
One fantastic aspect of the conference was the range of speakers and companies that were represented, which meant I learnt so much more about the industries as well as the aerodynamics involved in general. Alongside the two F1 teams mentioned above, we had Michael Sumec (CFD engineer) from Skoda, who explained how the company used aerodynamics for their rally cars. Of course, rally presents a whole host of new problems where the dynamics of the airflow is used to manage mud, dirt, gravel and snow.
We also had a range of OEM manufacturers, from luxury car companies such as Bentley - who studied the aerodynamics and wind noise to reduce the turbulence of the airflow around the drivers and passenger head's in their convertible models. Plus it was illuminating to learn how more mass market producers such as Nissan, Audi and Jaguar Land Rover approach the discipline.
There were also speakers from Scania and MAN who enlightened us on the developments surrounding lorry manufacturers and how they are now investing heavily in aerodynamic efficiency. Logically, this makes sense as due to the long journeys of lorry and truck drivers. Fuel consumption is even more important for reducing costs and emissions, yet when you look at a Lorry, there are no wings, no spoilers and they're not really a 'streamlined shape' in comparison to motorsport or even road cars. However, as I'm sure you've recently noticed, there are a few more different shaped trailers now driving around, some with a sloping back - and this is a direct result of how aerodynamics can be used to improve efficiency - even on trucks!
Finally, there were also some speakers from companies such as MTS (who work with F1 teams on their wind tunnel research and other testing solutions) and from software companies such as Ansys. This really helped to 'close the loop' for me to have the representatives of the manufacturers explaining why it was important to improve aerodynamics for both the benefit of the company as well as the customer.