TPS will be held in Houston on September 10th to 12th. We thank Greg Gammon, Director of Operations in Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M Engineering, for his time to give us a sneak peek of what is coming in this 2019 edition.
What novelties have you prepared for this 2019 edition?
One of our key initiatives in all of our continuing education programs is to engage women in the industry and encourage more participation. At the symposia this year, we will have a “Women in the Industry” workshop and luncheon that will include a panel session comprised of women who are working in the industry currently, from long-term to recent entry. The panel will discuss the issues that are unique to women who work in the rotating equipment industries, and what challenges they face.
We are encouraging company leadership, both men and women, to attend the luncheon and come away with an understanding of how companies can improve both recruiting and advancement of women, and what opportunities might exist to improve the company culture and working environment for women.
The event presents a multifaceted programme with workshops at Turbomachinery and Pump Symposia and special events. Which of the activities do you think are a must for the visitor or which of them do you highlight?
It is difficult to single out one particular program as there are so many opportunities to explore. I encourage everyone who can to come to the Welcome Address on Tuesday morning ahead of our technical sessions. Outside of the opportunities to learn from lectures, tutorials, case studies, and discussion groups, a key component of the symposia is our exhibit floor, where networking and information exchange is facilitated with leading industry companies.
What are the advantages of exhibiting at Turbomachinery and Pump Symposia?
TPS is one of the unique events where leading companies as well as “mom and pop” shops gather in one place. Multinational corporations and small local shops all have something of vital interest to offer our attendees, and this gives everyone working in the rotating equipment industries an opportunity to visit, learn, and do business. Many of our companies exhibit knowing that TPS is the place they can close the deal.
Can you give some tips for those exhibiting for the first time in Houston and specifically at Turbomachinery and Pump Symposia?
One thing we continually hear about from our long-time exhibitors is that this is one of, if not the best, organized shows. We have a dedicated staff who know the needs and expectations of exhibitors and can guide new exhibitors in best practices to make sure they have a successful experience. The exhibitors that seem to attract the most traffic have working equipment or models for demonstration purposes, along with knowledgeable presenters. We encourage exhibitors and attendees to dress business casual and have a relaxed atmosphere in the exhibit hall.
Can anybody attend Turbomachinery and Pump Symposia? How to register?
The symposia is open to anyone who has a desire to learn more about rotating equipment practices, beginning with full-day short courses on Monday and technical sessions that run from Tuesday through Thursday. Participants can register online or onsite during the event.
Short courses and tech sessions are offered for a fee, but anyone can visit the exhibit floor on Tuesday-Thursday fee.
What is the exhibitor profile?
Exhibiting companies will range from international Fortune 500 energy companies to small trade shops, all with interest in advancing the rotating equipment industries and supporting growth and technology transfer. While heavily slanted toward the oil and gas industries, exhibitors also represent power and water, controls and sensors, gears seals and bearings, safety, and other industries that support rotating equipment operations, maintenance, and reliability.
What is the visitor profile?
23% of attendees are management level, with an additional 15% designated senior management (38% total coming from company leadership positions) of the 4,750 registered attendees. 479, or 10% of all attendees, are international coming from 45 countries. 29% of all attendees came from the sales/marketing and business fields (primarily represented exhibitors), with the remaining 71% representing technical and engineering fields.
Which are other relevant tradeshows in the sector?
TPS (and its Asia counterpart ATPS) are unique and no other symposium that we are aware of uses the same model. TPS/ATPS is “For the Industry, By the Industry”, meaning our technical program is derived from industry and curated by advisory committees representing leadership positions in top-tier industry companies. This technical program, combined with a world-class exhibit hall, stands apart from technical-only conferences, or exhibit-only trade shows as well as conference/trade-shows that have an academic focus. The symposia are designed to bring together working technicians and engineers to share knowledge and experience.
Lastly, regarding the exhibitor, how many stand exhibitors participate in the last edition? from how many nationalities they are?
326 Exhibiting companies have headquarters in the USA. Another 39 exhibitors come from outside the US representing 13 countries, with China being the largest at 16 companies.
