Amidst a precarious to and fro dynamic of shortage and over-supply in the delicately balanced helium market, the second ever Global Helium Summit is getting underway in New Jersey, US. Hosted by gasworld Conferences, the summit provides a platform for insight, discussion and knowledge exchange about one of the hottest topics in the industrial gases community. Entitled Markets Returning to Equilibrium, the summit aims to understand the change in supply and demand dynamics of the helium business, both in the US and globally, over the last three years. Crucially, it also seeks to address future market expectations and questions over application developments. It comes at a key moment in the global helium market, as the pendulum swings from shortages during the 2011-2013 period – dubbed the Helium Shortage 2.0 – to two full years of significant over-supply that have changed the face of the supply chain in recent years. More than 150 delegates from countries as far as Japan, Qatar and Italy, have gathered at the DoubleTree by Hilton Somerset Hotel, with discussions on recent helium market conditions, current projects, technology shifts and applications drivers featuring across today’s packed agenda. gasworld’s Publisher and CEO John Raquet has officially commenced proceedings, stating, “It is my pleasure to welcome you to our second Global Helium Summit. We have a top line-up of speakers to impart their experiences of working within the helium industry who will be providing a valuable insight into the current helium market conditions, and the projects and applications that will be shaping the helium in the near future.” “With markets returning to equilibrium as our theme here affirms, we’ll decode why and how – and how long we might enjoy this happy balance.”
Agenda
The single-day summit is split into three sessions with key industry insiders lined up to share their insights. Topics on the agenda include:
The future of the BLM helium pipeline supply and storage systems
Future helium production projects
Advances in helium technology and equipment
Future MRI demand trends
Helium production from non-hydrocarbon resources
Balloon gas market dynamics