All eyes will be on Daegu in May as it hosts the World Gas Conference, the first major global event to be held in Korea since the Covid-19 outbreak.

The industry’s largest World Gas Conference will cover key issues in natural gas and related technologies.

This year, the organizing committee hopes that the event, to be held at EXCO Daegu, will attract some 12,000 visitors from 90 countries and 350 or more exhibitors.

The theme of the conference is “A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas”.

The world energy event, held every three years, was originally scheduled to be held in 2021.

However, like many other major world events, including the Olympics, the event has been postponed for a year due to the pandemic.

The last conference, held in Washington in 2018 on the theme “Fueling the Future”, was considered a major success with more than 11,500 visitors.

Major energy companies such as BP, Shell, Exxon Mobil and Chevron were among the 300 or more exhibitors.

“Gas is a key energy source for the global economy,” said Park Bong-kyu, chair of the organizing committee for the World Gas Conference. “There will be in-depth debates on issues such as post-Covid-19, the new paradigm of natural gas, hydrogen and carbon neutrality. ”

Park said the gas conference, in the expanded exhibition hall, will also serve to showcase Korean companies’ technological development related to carbon neutrality, including carbon capture and storage, which has become a key technology. in the energy industry to capture carbon emissions.

The chair of the organizing committee pointed out that while Covid-19 has led to more online meetings, companies prefer to meet in person to discuss issues.

He said after much debate, it was decided that this year’s conference would be held in person rather than in digital form.

Park said the committee was confident in its decision despite the ongoing pandemic.

“We have looked at all angles and continue to prepare comprehensive quarantine measures for a successful conference,” Park said in a recent interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily.

The head of the organizing committee was an official who headed the trade department at the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy and was also the chief financial officer of Korea’s main gas company, Daesung Group.

Q. There are less than six months until the World Gas Conference. How important is this international event and what will be its economic impact?

A. The 2022 World Gas Conference [WGC2022] is the largest international gas conference with a 90-year history and tradition.

Korea managed to win the bid to host the international event in 2014 after three attempts. Korea is the third country in Asia to host the event. The other two host countries are Japan and Malaysia.

WGC2022 is an important event where government officials, business CEOs, representatives of nonprofits and energy experts come together in one place to discuss key energy issues and exchange new information for the development of the global gas industry.

This year’s event will bring positive effects from a wide range, including establishing a global network and strengthening international relations in Korea, one of the major consumers of liquefied natural gas. [LNG] -, an opportunity for Korean companies to expand abroad, business opportunities for large energy companies and improving the competitiveness of the Korean energy industry.

Daegu will be able to benefit from a boost in its regional economy by hosting the international event, in tourism, hospitality, transport and MICE [meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions] industry.

According to a recent study by the Daegu Gyeongbuk Development Institute, this event will have a production incentive effect of 449.9 billion won. [$373.7 million], a value-added incentive effect of 194.4 billion won and an employment incentive effect of 4,185 jobs.

As the first international event organized since the epidemic, what do you think will be different from past global events?

The WGC is an international event with a long history. Our organizing committee is focused on keeping the traditions of past events alive, but with an upgrade where some parts will be different from before.

First and foremost, the theme for this year’s event is “A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas”.

It will be an event where various topics related to gas, which is a key energy source of the global economy, will be discussed, and there will be in-depth debates on changes in global energy industries, including post- Covid-19 and the new paradigm of natural gas, hydrogen and carbon neutrality, the role of energy sources such as renewable energies and climate change.

Compared to past events, we expect a strong turnout from neighboring China, Japan and Taiwan, which are the largest importers of LNG in the world, as it takes place in Korea, a major gas importing country. ‘East Asia.

The participation of these large gas importers is expected to generate strong interest among gas exporters, which will create many business opportunities.

Many countries are committed to carbon neutrality. What interest do you think there will be at this year’s conference on environmentally friendly energies? Is there a special event prepared by the organizing committee?

An in-depth discussion on energy transition and carbon neutrality should take place. The energy industry is a key part of the industry to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

Gaseous energy is a source of energy necessary to achieve carbon neutrality, because it is stable and sustainable.

Recently, the International Gas Union [IGU] broadened the definition of gas to include biogas, syngas and hydrogen.

The organizing committee is preparing to organize the event where a wide range of issues will be addressed through strategic sessions including an opening speech and debates on topical issues held on Tuesday and Wednesday. [during the conference].

The line between industries is thinning, especially with IT now converging in different areas. Can we expect to see other industries, including IT, attend this year’s conference?

The role of advanced technologies, including computing, is increasing dramatically as the energy industry moves towards a sustainable future.

Gas industries are increasing their efficiency at all stages of their value chain, from excavation to development, production, distribution and consumption.

And there are continuous efforts on security and optimization.

To achieve this, technologies actively used include data analysis, simulation, sensor technologies, robotics, drones, artificial intelligence, and high-tech materials.

Digital communications technology and big data forecasting are needed to optimize [energy] network management, including for energy efficiency in urban areas as well as for renewable energies.

As such, the conference will set up nine thematic exhibitions, including Innovation Korea and Digital Transformation.

Other gas-related technology exhibitions include Marine, Sustainability & Eco, and Gas for Transportation.

There are concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant. Recently, Switzerland canceled the Universiade. The WGC has been delayed for a year. Do you have specific quarantine measures?

It is true that there are uncertainties about holding a large-scale event such as the WGC as Covid-19 sweeps the world.

The WGC2022 Organizing Committee, along with IGU, Daegu Metropolitan Government and host partner Korea Gas Corp., sufficiently reviewed the Covid-19 situation and decided in November 2020 to postpone the event to the ‘next year.

Following the confirmation of the postponement, the organizing committee has worked on the preparation of the event and the companies are planning accordingly for a successful reception.

As the safety of participants is paramount, we are working closely with EXCO to set up a systematic quarantine system during WGC2022.

In December, the number of people vaccinated in Korea was 80% and we expect the situation to improve. However, we always remain attentive to the spread of the variant.

The organizing committee is doing everything to ensure a normal opening of WGC2022.

They say a crisis is an opportunity, and we are confident that WGC2022 will be the first large-scale face-to-face energy-related event in 2022 and a good example for overcoming Covid-19.

How will major global forums like the WGC evolve after Covid-19? What impact do you think this will have on the MICE industry?

The MICE industry has suffered greatly from Covid-19 and non-person-to-face services have now taken root in our lives in all aspects due to travel restrictions and social distancing regulations being implemented around the world. whole.

Even the MICE industry is shifting its management to a hybrid form where face-to-face and online events are held simultaneously.

Given the characteristics of the MICE industry, which emphasizes face-to-face dating, there is some unexpected confusion.

[However,] we might expect additional effects from the new hybrid model that converges existing infrastructure with technology that will expand time and space.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [[email protected]]