The Canadian Wind Energy Association will hold its 29th Annual Conference and exhibition from October 7-10 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Toronto, Ontario. CanWEA 2013 Conference & Exhibition is Canada’s largest wind energy conference. Organizers expect to attract nearly 200 exhibitors and 2,000 attendees from around the world to the four-day event. Participants can expect to see products and services, learn industry brand names, network with leading industry decision makers, and generate numerous high-quality business leads.
CanWEA 2013 exhibitors are leaders in the wind industry, and are dedicated to supporting CanWEA’s efforts to push forward wind energy industry policy, regulatory, and business development objectives.
Past attendees will notice a few changes and enhancements to the event over years past. Exhibition times have been condensed and scheduled as a two-day event on Tuesday and Wednesday. Additionally, the association has has added some service functions to exhibitors and attendees. CanWEA will have a theater set up on the show floor providing companies with the opportunity to showcase their products or services. CanWEA also recognizes the importance of having private spaces available for companies to hold meetings outside of their booth and off the show floor, while still staying within the walls of the show. CanWEA will have meeting rooms on the show floor this year. These rooms can be rented for the duration of the show, or can be rented by the hour.
In another first, CanWEA has added a job fair to the 2013 Conference and Exhibition. The Association has secured the participation of a number of exhibiting companies who have confirmed that they will have jobs available in the wind industry within the next year. Are you a graduating student, recent graduate, or an individual who is interested in exploring the opportunities available in the wind energy industry? If so, make plans to participate in the CanWEA 2013 Career Fair, which will be held on Wednesday, October 9 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Exhibit Hall D (an entrance fee of $50.00 will be charged).
CanWEA 2013 gets underway on Monday, October 7 with a one-hour exhibitors’ reception starting at 3:30 p.m., followed by the opening reception at 5 p.m.
The opening session on Tuesday borrows its topic from the host province, and is entitled: “The Wind Energy Experience in Ontario.” Ontario is the largest market for wind energy in Canada—currently with more than 2GW of wind power capacity. Presenters slated to speak are: CanWEA Board Chair Roby Roberts, Ontario Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli, and CanWEA President Robert Hornung. Through these presentations and the acompanying roundtable discussion, participants will examine both successes and challenges for Ontario concerning wind energy, investigating how lessons learned can contribute to a long-term energy plan for the province.
The next day, the focus shifts back to Canada as a whole under the “Wind Energy Across Canada” theme. More than two-thirds of Canada’s installed wind energy capacity can be found outside Ontario. In British Columbia, Alberta and Quebec, formal processes are now underway that will determine the opportunities available for new wind energy development over the next 5-10 years. Each of these markets is unique and this plenary session will highlight wind energy’s successes in these markets to date and discuss the unique actions required in each market for wind energy to capture its full potential. This session features a procurement and opportunities update, as well as case studies and regional updates.
On the final day of the conference, the plenary session takes on “Renewable Energy Advocacy & Review of the Long Term Energy Plan.” This final half-day session shifts the topic of discussion beyond wind and into the energy renewables arena. CanWEA brings you a panel of energy association leaders and provocative key speakers including environmental activist, Ms. Tzeporah Berman, and journalist, Mr. Tyler Hamilton.
Educational sessions will be offered concurrently with the exhibition on Tuesday and Wednesday. These 90-minute sessions take a narrower focus on specific wind energy topics, such as: finance, wildlife and ecology, global markets, wind integration, operations and maintenance, siting, forecasting, and more.
More information about CanWEA’s 29th Annual Conference & Exhibition, including conference agenda, floor plan, and exhibitor directory can be found online at http://canwea2013.ca.
