Looking to the Future WGC2012’s tagline, “Gas: Sustaining Future Global Growth,” was a central focus throughout the conference.
de Janeiro–based process engineer with PETROBRAS’s Research and Development Center. “Globalized conferences like the WGC are important because they are opportunities for companies and nations to discuss all the industry’s issues, like partnerships, technologies, markets, and best practices.” Beyond the destination providing a convenient gateway
for WGC2012’s array of international attendees as well as a relevant backdrop to the conference’s content, the conven- tion center’s flexibility also played a major role in attracting the event. For example, security was tight — even members of the press had to go through screenings just to come in and out of the media center — so the convention center’s staff was required to hand over the venue’s security management to the WGC team during the conference. Three marquee structures were also added specifically to contain WGC2012’s exhibition and other events. (See “ ‘One Big Convention City,’ ” at right.)
“Because of the success of the events since we opened [the
convention center] in 2005,” Brokenshire said, “Malaysia as a business-tourism destination has gained momentum.” Indeed, the destination and the convention center have become so popular that an expansion is in the works after only seven years of operation. The details are still being finalized, but “in our initial business plan, we thought we’d do 13 exhibitions a year,” Brokenshire said, “but now we’re averaging 62 to 64. And many of our existing exhibitions have outgrown the center.” Fortunately for IGU, WGC2012 wasn’t one of them.
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Contributing Editor Jennifer N. Dienst is a freelance writer based in Charleston, S.C.
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ON THE WEB To learn more about the 2012 World Gas Conference, visitwgc2012.com.
‘One Big Convention City’
To house WGC2012’s 220 exhibits, 47 technical sessions, media center, daily luncheons, and a long list of other programs, WGC’s National Organizing Committee created a self-contained concept village that extended well beyond the walls of the 215,913-square-foot Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Three new marquee structures specifically built for WGC — one of which became a permanent addition — and the adjacent Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur, formed the conference campus.
“The size and complexity of the conference was of a very different dimension,” said Datuk Peter Brokenshire, the convention center’s general manager. “We created one big convention city.”
To seamlessly connect the marquee structures to the convention center, and keep attendees out of Kuala Lumpur’s high humidity and temperatures, the team also added air-conditioned, enclosed walkways.
“Attendees could walk from one to the other,” Brokenshire said, “and not realize they’ve left the convention center.”