The second ever Global Helium Summit is on the horizon in the traditional home of helium production, the US, ready to explore the trends, technologies and dynamics in one of the most delicately balanced industrial gas supply chains. More than 150 delegates from countries as far as Korea, Turkey and Azerbaijan, are beginning to congregate at the DoubleTree by Hilton Somerset Hotel in New Jersey for the Pre-Summit Welcome Reception before turning their attentions to tomorrow’s event, highlighting the importance that the helium business plays on a global scale. Hosted by gasworld Conferences, the summit is the second symposium of its kind and follows on from a successful event in London in June 2013. Essentially, it provides a platform for insight, discussion and knowledge exchange about one of the hottest topics in the industrial gases community. It comes at a crucial time in the global helium market, as the pendulum swings from shortages during the 2011-2013 period – dubbed 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 recently, the sector has begun to show signs of reaching a new stability – but the unsettled nature of this supply chain is a continuing source of uncertainty for those in the industry, with the American supply of helium dwindling and forecast to be depleted by 2021. Entitled Markets Returning to Equilibrium, the Global Helium 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.
Industry insiders
The single-day event features a packed programme of discussion and debate, with some of the biggest and most esteemed figures within the industry lined up to share their insights.
Key speakers include:
Phil Kornbluth, Kornbluth Helium Consulting
Nick Haines, Linde Gas
Robert Jolley, BLM
Brian Witt, IACX