New Autogas Pavilion part of expanded educational program in Atlanta
The Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo on April 11-13 will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
This international event, simply called Propane Expo, is the world’s largest propane industry trade show, featuring comprehensive propane industry educational programs.
The Propane Expo education and training program continues to expand to meet the business knowledge and work-skill needs of everyone working in the propane industry.
The educational program, which starts at 9 a.m. Saturday, is divided among several venues in the convention center. Most of the educational events are held in concurrent sessions, so you won’t always be able to attend every session that piques your interest. Consider bringing more than one person from your company to the Propane Expo to gain maximum benefit from all of the educational offerings.
One of the more popular educational sessions at the expo is an online and social media marketing workshop by Ben Gutkin from Warm Thoughts Communications. Running concurrently will be several propane delivery automation workshops where people can compare the latest propane delivery automation technologies.
Other educational sessions continue through Sunday morning, covering a wide range of topics, including propane supply risk management, collaborative negotiation, marketing, technology, safety and training sessions by subject matter experts from the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC). Some of the sessions are identified for attendees to receive certificates of attendance as a record of their learning experiences. These educational sessions are not held during exhibit hall hours, so you will be able to participate in all aspects of the Propane Expo.
Another popular learning experience at the expo comes in the form of fast-track sessions held in the exhibit hall at the PERC Innovation Pavilion. A separate stage and seating area is set up for 45-minute fast tracks on topics that can be more technical in nature, often related to safety and regulations. During these sessions, you are surrounded by all of the exhibitors on the trade show floor.
Certification sessions continue to expand every year. This year, they are focused on most components of a residential or commercial propane system, from propane tank to burner tip. Service technicians, installers and sales personnel will be interested in attending one or more of the hands-on certification sessions. Learn about the latest technology in propane gas system components and how they can be applied in the field to build safe, efficient, high-performance propane gas systems. Components such as propane tanks, plastic underground pipe, CSST flexible gas piping, vaporizers, regulators and meters are covered in detail in separate sessions held in enclosed areas toward the rear of the exhibit floor, so you will be close to all the exhibitor action. Factory experts will lead all certification sessions, and you will receive a certificate of participation in them.
There will also be an Autogas Pavilion as a new exhibit area in the exhibit hall this year. The Autogas Pavilion will bring together autogas industry vehicles, products, education and services in one place. You will be able to visit with experts in the field and learn how to become more involved with propane autogas. A separate autogas fast-tracks seating area will be available where you can listen to presentations by industry experts about the latest in propane autogas technology.
The entire energy industry, including propane, is changing rapidly and the National Propane Gas Association Propane Expo is the one event you can attend to catch up with many of those changes. To register for the event, visit www.propaneexpo.com.
I look forward to attending to learn new tricks about propane. I hope to see you in Atlanta.
Tom Jaenicke is the founder and principal adviser at ATomiK Creative Solutions LLC, a company that provides marketing services, technical advice, continuing education solutions and business development assistance to energy companies and support organizations. He can be reached at 810-252-7855 or tom@atomikenergysolutions.com.