EVENT REVIEW
Quo Vadis Conference
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Quite some time ago we heard about the Quo Vadis conference and the work of Kevin Donovan and his team at Windpower Renewable Solutions. This is a ‘by invitation only event’, has no cost involved and is limited to windfarm owners and O&M providers. The reasoning is quite clear – concerns can be raised, discussed and solutions sought for the good of the industry as a whole.
We were honoured to be invited to help with that focus and intent.
For the moment we will concentrate on the conference itself and why Belfast in Northern Ireland was chosen as the venue for this prestigious event, however there was so much information which could help the industry progress, that we will be featuring the Quo Vadis vision in future editions.
QUO VADIS CONFERENCE
This was the fifth year of the Quo Vadis Conference. Previous Quo Vadis venues were Luton, Lowestoft, Crawley, and last year the Met Office in Exeter where the delegates were treated to a guided tour of the facilities, during which delegates were shown reporting systems that could help them determine the best time to undertake maintenance.
This year Kevin and his team were looking for a venue that would do justice to the previous years’ events and encompass both an area of expanding business within the renewable energy world, but also have some historic background that would be the backbone of the supporting programme – Belfast fitted the bill exactly.
THE IDEAL VENUE
Belfast Harbour is now heavily involved in the renewable energy sector, has a history of ‘big engineering’ and innovation and 2012 sees the 100th anniversary of the launch of the Titanic.
Through membership of the Global Wind Alliance they were fortunate to be invited to hold the conference and pre event dinner at the historic Harbour Commissioners Office. The building and its furnishings are truly amazing and provided the perfect setting for Quo Vadis.
SEMI SOCIAL EVENTS
Quo Vadis has always made use of the interesting surroundings and facilities of the venues visited and Belfast was no exception. We enjoyed a stay at the Stormont Hotel (opposite the magnificent Stormont Castle – home to the Northern Ireland Government), a tour of the extensive Belfast Harbour and Titanic Quarter, and a pre-event dinner within the sumptuous Harbour Commissioners Office, the evening prior to the conference.
MAIN SPONSORS
The attendance of Quo Vadis is free for invited guests, and that is another reason why Belfast was a very attractive venue – the main sponsor this year was Invest Northern Ireland who paid for the Pre Event Dinner. Other sponsors were GL Garrad Hassan, SKF, and the Global Wind Alliance have now become regular supporters of the event.
QUO VADIS CONFERENCE AND SPEAKERS
Welcome and introduction – Kevin Donovan from Windpower Renewable Solutions welcomed all present, explained why we were assembled and introduced our chairman for the day.
Chairman – Clifford McSpadden, Chairman of the Global Wind Alliance was our very able and active chairman, who started us off in the morning of the one day conference. Clifford not only made sure that the speakers were kept in line and on time, but also ensured that the delegates were suitably enlivened by
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www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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