An expanded education program for everyone from field to front office
The Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo is going to be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on April 11–13, 2015. This international event, simply called Propane Expo, has the world’s largest propane industry trade show and the most comprehensive propane industry education program available anywhere.
The Propane Expo education and training program continues to expand to meet the business knowledge and work skill needs of everyone working in the storage, transportation, marketing, sales, and delivery of propane and related applications and products. The education program is divided among several venues in the convention center and starts at 9:00 A.M. on Saturday, so you should schedule your travel plans accordingly. Most of the education events are held in concurrent sessions so you won’t always be able to schedule your time to attend every session in which you are interested. You should consider bringing more than one person from your company to the Propane Expo to gain maximum benefit from all of the education offerings.
Education Sessions, held in a series of meeting rooms at the registration level of the World Congress Center, start off Saturday morning with several workshops. An Online & Social Media Marketing Workshop will be conducted by Ben Gutkin from Warm Thoughts Communications. Ben’s workshop has been the most popular education event at the Expo for two years in a row. Running concurrently will be several Propane Delivery Automation Workshops where you can learn about and compare the latest propane delivery automation technology. Other Education Sessions continue through Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning and cover a wide range of topics including propane supply risk management, collaborative negotiation, and several marketing, technology, and safety and training sessions by subject matter experts from PERC. Some of the sessions are identified for attendees to receive certificates of attendance as a record of their learning experiences. These Education 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 Propane Expo is the 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 a variety of topics that can be more technical in nature and often related to safety and regulations. You are surrounded by, and only steps away from, all of the exhibitors on the trade show floor. Some of these sessions end up being standing room only.
Certification Sessions continue to expand and this year are focused on most components of a residential or commercial propane system, from propane tank to burner tip. Service technicians and installers, sales personnel, and anyone else involved in the sales, installation, and servicing of propane systems 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. All Certification Sessions will be conducted by factory experts and you will receive a certificate of participation.
Have you heard yet? There will 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 you can become more involved with propane autogas, the leading alternative fuel in the United States and abroad. 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 Autogas Pavilion will make the world’s largest propane industry trade show an even more popular part of the Propane Expo.
The entire energy industry, including propane, is changing rapidly and the NPGA Propane Expo is the one event you can attend to catch up with many of those changes. The NPGA Convention Committee and NPGA staff have put together a program that will draw attention and attendance from across America and around the world. Attendees are able to get maximum value for their travel dollars and time by having access to the most comprehensive propane industry education available anywhere, along with the world’s best exhibit of propane-related products and services, all in one location, at the NPGA Propane Expo. To find out more about the education opportunities at the Propane Expo and register for the event, go to www.propaneexpo.com.
I hope to see you in Atlanta. I’ll be one of those old dogs there to learn new tricks about Propane, Clean American Energy.