Thursday, May 17, 2018
The National Propane Gas Association’s (NPGA) Southeastern Convention & International Propane Expo returned to the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta this year after being held in Nashville the past two years. The 71st annual gathering, held April 6-8, drew nearly 3300 participants. This marked a 6% increase compared to the last time the event was held in Atlanta in 2015.
The three-day event attracted participants from 48 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and 31 foreign countries and territories. In addition, the nearly sold-out 180,000-square-foot exhibition hall included more than 240 exhibiting organizations.
Program highlights included a keynote presentation by Greg Gumbel of CBS Sports; PERC Update Live by Tucker Perkins, president and CEO of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC); and a Women in Propane Roundtable — Management Matters. Twenty-eight breakout sessions, seven fast-track sessions, several propane technical workshops, and a Women in Propane Leadership Forum rounded out the information-filled three-day event. New this year was a Propane Cargo-Tank Test & Inspection Workshop that NPGA added to agenda.
In addition to the three-hour expo welcome reception, other networking events included receptions held by Women in Propane and another by the Young Gassers. The Rev. Dr. William Fullilove returned to offer his inspiring message at the annual prayer breakfast. “Feedback from membership on our return to Atlanta has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Richard Roldan, NPGA president and CEO. “Not only did marketers gain useful information from a great mix of education sessions, but exhibitors were pleased with the quality of visitors to the show floor.”
The three-day event attracted participants from 48 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and 31 foreign countries and territories. In addition, the nearly sold-out 180,000-square-foot exhibition hall included more than 240 exhibiting organizations.
Program highlights included a keynote presentation by Greg Gumbel of CBS Sports; PERC Update Live by Tucker Perkins, president and CEO of the Propane Education & Research Council (PERC); and a Women in Propane Roundtable — Management Matters. Twenty-eight breakout sessions, seven fast-track sessions, several propane technical workshops, and a Women in Propane Leadership Forum rounded out the information-filled three-day event. New this year was a Propane Cargo-Tank Test & Inspection Workshop that NPGA added to agenda.
The exhibit hall included the United Propane AutoGas Solutions (UPAS) Group’s autogas pavilion. In this area, the focus was on products, processes, education tools, and services specific to the rapidly expanding autogas market. A New Products Showcase, presented in partnership with PERC, displayed new products and technologies. 
