The chances are good that if you are reading this article, you can remember attending at least one ethanol-related conference this year. One could have spent the entirety of 2006 going to conferences focused solely on biofuels. The conference and meeting planning division of BBI International counted almost 200 biofuels, biomass- or biotechnology-related conferences that were scheduled for 2006, an increase from 140 such conferences in 2005. 

 
 "Many of them are smaller, specific conferences," says BBI's Vice President of Conference and Event Planning Angela Damman. Others, she says while noting the trendiness of the industry, were conferences sponsored by companies outside of the renewable fuels industry that decided to include biofuels in their agendas. "They all add up to one big conference spree," Damman explains.
 Damman tells EPM that because of the significant time and investment that goes into organizing conferences, the number of events reflects how the industry is performing. Judging by the increase in ethanol conferences, the industry was at peak performance in 2006. 
 
 Although more conferences might suggest a dilution in the number of attendees, that was not the case in the ethanol-related conference arena. In fact, what occurred was just the opposite. Not only were many trade show floor spaces sold out months in advance, but attendance numbers also doubled for some annual events.
 
 No longer are all the faces familiar at these conferences, according to long-time attendees of the 2006 International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo (FEW) in June. The FEW, in particular, saw a dramatic growth in attendance. This year, nearly 3,400 attended, a 60 percent increase from last year, according to Damman. The BBI International-organized FEW, with 22 consecutive years under its belt, is the longest-running, largest ethanol industry event in the world. 
 
 The FEW casts a wide net, luring in people who are interested in conducting business and learning about the latest issues impacting producers, marketers and industry vendors, according to EPM's review of the conference in the August issue. Another aspect that makes the FEW so strong is the opportunity it provides for information sharing between ethanol producers and technology providers. "The FEW is the only conference that focuses [highly] on production and operations issues," Damman says, noting that other conferences focus mainly on policy, markets and investments. Virtually every conference held this year, however, turned the spotlight on oil prices and national security, she says. She added that there was less focus this year on the environmental benefits of renewable fuels.
 
 Higher and Higher
 Damman predicts that by year-end, BBI will have processed twice as many registrations for its seven ethanol-related conferences this year than last year.
 
 BBI wasn't the only conference sponsor to host wildly successful events in 2006. Attendance was up across the board. The Clean Cities Congress and Expo 2006 also set a record, attracting 1,000 registered attendees to Phoenix in May. As EPM reported in July, 700 more people crowded in as the general public was invited to the conference for two hours on the last day of the 12th annual event. "We've never had that kind of interest on the part of the public before," Kimberly Taylor tells EPM. Taylor is the director of business and consumer programming for the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Institute, which organized the event.
 

 Likewise, the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) Conference and Trade Show, held in Kansas City, Mo., in August, sold out with 1,500 registrants two weeks in advance, according to ACE Member Services Director Shannon Gustafson. "We didn't anticipate having to close registration," she says, noting that larger facilities have been booked for future conferences. In addition to the 1,500 pre-registered attendees, 100 trade-show-only passes were sold. This attendance represents a record crowd in the event's 19-year history.
 
 The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) saw a similar situation earlier in the year. Registration, which was capped at 1,500, had to be closed prior to the 2006 National Ethanol Conference: Policy and Marketing (NEC). At the conference, the RFA celebrated its 25th year as an organization and 11th year of hosting the conference. The event, held in February in Las Vegas, is primarily focused on the national marketplace for ethanol, the business of buying and selling the renewable fuel, and the implementation of federal policies that help drive those transactions according to EPM's conference review, in the April 2006 issue. "Since it's a long-standing event, there is a lot of business opportunity for sales because that's where the marketers are," Damman says of the NEC. 
 
 Many conferences have dual functions, that include sharing information and doing business. Much of the business is conducted at trade shows and expos—another area of growth. The Clean Cities Congress increased its trade show booth space to 85 exhibitors, and ACE had more than 170 companies setting up shop—also a record. The 2006 FEW sold out of trade show spots months in advance, and well over 100 companies were placed on a waiting list, according to Damman. To make up for anticipated increased demand, BBI increased the number of booths for the 2007 event by 150 for a total of 530 booths. However, demand has still managed to outpace supply. Booths for the 2007 FEW were sold out as of Nov. 1, and nine companies were placed on a waiting list the following day.
 
 The increase in booths is indicative of the number of new companies entering the industry, as well as those adding biofuels to their repertoire. Looking to do business with ethanol producers, specific trades (e.g., tank manufacturers) are joining the process technology designers on the trade show floor, and the numbers show it.
 	
 Region- and Topic-Specific Events
 One of the most dramatic increases in 2006 was the number of niche, regional and topic-specific conferences. Political requirements, technology advancements, investor interest and international expansion—most of which are new issues this year—have provided the growing industry with numerous topics to discuss, and several angles from which to approach these issues. In addition to the major, long-running events such as the NEC and the FEW, many other smaller events included investment summits, training workshops, political conferences, feedstock-specific seminars, international conventions and regional meetings.
 
 Most remarkable this year was the number of financial, regional and international conferences. For example, conferences aimed at teaching attendees how to invest in ethanol production plants, manage financial risk or achieve financing sprouted up all over the country.
 
 Some conferences were state- or region-specific. These events were hosted in areas or states that don't currently have a large biofuels industry, such as the Pacific Northwest, Florida, New Jersey and the southwest. These regional conferences primarily focused on policies, and on the financial wherewithal necessary to bring biofuels production and markets to specific areas of the country.
 
 One longer-running regional conference doubled in size this year to accommodate the growing interest from regions outside of the Corn Belt to develop a biofuels industry. The BBI Biofuels Workshop and Trade Show Series, which had previously alternated every other year from a location in the eastern region of the United States to a site in the West, is now held annually in both eastern and western regions of the country. The Eastern Region workshop was held the end of October in Nashville, Tenn., and the Western Region workshop was scheduled for the following month in San Diego. The regional aspect of the shows provides "information and expertise that specifically target regional challenges and opportunities for further development of the biofuels industry," according to BBI International. Nearly 400 people attended the event on the East Coast, and the same number was expected to attend the Western Region event.

 
 International Conferences
 Global ethanol interest was exemplified by the growing number of conferences held outside of the United States this year. These events took place in some of the major new markets for renewable fuels, including Europe, Canada, the Pacific Rim, Australia and China. 
 
 "A lot of these new developments are happening in country-specific areas," Damman says. One such conference, the third annual World Biofuels Symposium (WBS), was held in Beijing, China, on Sept. 12-15 and addressed the relatively new, yet rapidly growing, ethanol program in the country. China is the world's third-largest ethanol producer, as reported in the conference review published in the November issue of EPM. 
 
 The symposium was organized by Tsinghua University; China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corp. (COFCO); the Minnesota Department of Agriculture; and BBI International. The 300 attendees came from every continent, and included policy-makers, government officials, researchers, ethanol plant suppliers and service providers. Large multinational corporations also attended, including General Motors, Shell and DuPont. 
 
 True to its name, the WBS focused on the growth of biofuels around the world, particularly in the host country where eight of its 23 provinces have mandated that E10 be sold at retail pumps. There was significant discussion on the future of cellulosic ethanol in China where the government has allocated $2 billion to support a cellulosic ethanol project.
 
 Conference attendees also had the opportunity to tour an ethanol production facility in China's northeast province of Heilonjiang. In addition to its primary product of beverage alcohol, China Resources Alcohol Co. Ltd. (CRAC) produces ethanol and is expanding a pilot cellulosic ethanol plant. 
 
 One of the many noteworthy events at the WBS was an invitation-only roundtable discussion, where it was agreed upon that some sort of global biofuels/biomass initiative needed to be formed. EPM reported that the formation of such a group would happen within months. In early November, BBI International announced that it was spearheading an effort called Going Green Globally to meet these needs (look for a feature article on the initiative in the February 2007 issue of EPM).
 
 There may not be another year like 2006 for conferences. Damman predicts that interest in new conferences will slow as the industry matures. "Right now, we are pretty much at a peak for conferences," she says. "But who knows? Something could happen next year that we hadn't predicted." 
 

 Anduin Kirkbride McElroy is an Ethanol Producer Magazine staff writer. Reach her at <a href=mailto:"amcelroy@bbibiofuels.com">amcelroy@bbibiofuels.com</a> or (701) 746-8385.

RFA President and CEO Bob Dinneen addressed attendees of the 2006 National Ethanol Conference: Policy and Marketing in February

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Global interest in ethanol intensified in 2006 and was reflected in an increase in the number of conferences held outside of the United States. The World Biofuels Symposium was held in Beijing, China.

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Attendance at nearly all ethanol conferences was record-breaking in 2006, mirroring the rapid growth of the biofuels industry. Likewise, the sheer number of ethanol conferences was mind-boggling. In retrospect, EPM looked at the biggest conferences, most important issues and hottest trends to hit ethanol events in 2006.

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