【Final Report】VALVE WORLD AMERICAS EXPO
Sep 01, 2015
The third staging of Valve World Americas Expo & Conference, recently held in Houston, Texas was a resounding success. A total of 3,718 visitors and delegates (not including exhibitor staff) attended the event to get a broad overview of the latest technologies, components and systems in the field of industrial flow control. Products and innovations were presented by 192 exhibitors from the United States, Asia, Europe, India and Mexico on 38,900 net square feet of exhibit space. Since its inception in 2011, the event has grown significantly with each staging, in terms of both exhibitors and attendees, and has solidified its place as the industry’s main meeting point. Further underscoring this development was the key support of the major valve manufacturers as show sponsors: Bonney Forge, Bray International, Crane ChemPharma & Energy, Emerson Process Management, Metso, MRC Global, Pentair Valves & Controls and Velan – with the support of the Valve Manufacturers Association of America (VMA), API and the Society of Piping Engineers and Designers (SPED).
This event was again a collaboration between KCI Publishing Corporation and Messe Düsseldorf North America – who have cooperated on previous Valve World Americas events and on the Valve World Expo taking place in Düsseldorf, Germany. “The response to Valve World Americas has been nothing short of exceptional. We are especially proud of the fact that this has become a real partnership between the organizers and the industry to build and foster a community. Due to the unprecedented growth and demand for exhibit space at the 2015 show, we will again expand our available exhibit space at the George R. Brown Convention Center for the 2017 show,” stated Tom Mitchell, President of Messe Düsseldorf North America.
The Valve World Americas Conference 2015 has followed the successful format of the previous event, by having the conference consist of plenary sessions and panel workshops developed by our Steering Committee of industry experts. The workshops covered a variety of timely topics and issues such as valve testing for emissions, performance and validation, valve technologies selection for cryogenic applications, variables in the design of a valve, material selection and casting specifications, among others. The plenary sessions included themes such as the outlook on the Houston economy, the role of effective valve selection and operation for improved safety performance, the benefits of standardizing specifications in valve selection and environmental enforcement. For the 2017 event, the conference organization will employ a Call for Papers for the first time – more information on how to become involved with the conference will be made available in the near future.
“The conference itself was well-received and served as an important counterpart to the show floor,” remarked Thijs Elshof, CEO, KCI Publishing Corporation. “Delegates and exhibitors alike praised the quality of the expo and the conference, and continue to support and validate our decision to further expand the event and move to the larger expo hall for the 2017 event. We are very pleased with the positive feedback we have received from exhibitors, visitors and delegates and we are glad to be able to facilitate a networking platform for the flow control industry that continues to exceed expectations.”
One day prior to the conference, two supplementary educational programs were held – the Valves & Actuators 101 course, presented by the Valve Manufacturers Association and the Valve Academy, presented by Ventil. The Valves & Actuators 101 course, a 1-day education program designed to jump-start your career or provide a refresher on valve, actuator and control basics, was very well-attended again this year. The Valve Academy course, a highly-focused short course designed to enhance performance, lower emissions, avoid shut-downs, prevent incorrect sizing, optimise control loops and save on maintenance, is a great place to continue your education at an advanced level and we were pleased to offer both collaborative programs.
Not all the action was on the show floor and in the conference rooms. A new feature for 2015 was the Valve Park, situated adjacent to the expo hall before registration. Numerous exhibitors contributed valve samples of all shapes and sizes that attendees could view and touch as they made their way to and from the show.
The highly popular End-User Golf Tournament was held on Friday, July 17th, the day after the event closed, with over 155 golfers coming out to unwind and network.
The next Valve World Americas Expo & Conference will be held from June 20 - 21, 2017 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Exhibitors were very enthusiastic about the next event, with 60% of the new show floor for 2017 being re-booked on-site.
The event organizers are also pleased to announce the introduction of a new industry event - Fugitive Emissions Summit Americas to be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center on June 13th – 14th, 2016 in conjunction with Pump Summit Americas. Fugitive Emissions Summit Americas aims to bring together a community of end users, EPCs, distributors, manufacturers and suppliers for an exciting conference and exhibition that will help address the ever-changing world of fugitive emissions regulations and control.
For information on exhibiting at Valve World Americas in 2017, please go to www.valveworldexpoamericas.com.