2015 Q&A and Technology Forum
2015 Q&A and Technology Forum
Sunday, October 4 - Wednesday, October 7, 2015
New Orleans Marriott
555 Canal Street
New Orleans, LA 70130-2349
The Q&A and Technology Forum program has seven components to give attendees the industry's most comprehensive meeting on refinery operations and process technology: the Q&A Panel Sessions, Cybersecurity Day, the Principles & Practices Sessions, the Plant Automation/Decision Support Sessions, a vendor debate, a Young Leaders Townhall and a table top exhibition.
Save $300 by registering by August 28th and making a sleeping room reservation in the AFPM room block.
The Q&A Sessions on Hydroprocessing, Gasoline Processes, Crude/Vacuum Distillation & Coking, and FCC feature panels of industry experts from refining companies and technology providers who respond to questions and engage attendees in a discussion of today's tough issues. You can participate by submitting your own answers to these questions to be included in The Answer Book. To have your answers included, submit them to Yvette Brooks at AnswerBook@afpm.org no later than September 7, 2015. This will allow time for AFPM to prepare the Answer Book for distribution.
The Principles & Practices (P&P) Sessions on Hydroprocessing, Gasoline Processes, Crude/Vacuum Distillation & Coking, FCC, Fostering Profitability and a Young Leaders Town Hall are discussion-oriented sessions, primarily designed for the engineer whose overall operating experience is 3-15 years. Four of the P&P sessions complement the information exchange that occurs in the Q&A sessions; the other two P&P sessions address current industry issues. Each of the sessions addresses the fundamentals of good operation and the foundational principles for the technologies that are commonly employed. These sessions have short presentations followed by a time where attendees can ask further questions or present their own particular problems and benefit from the collective experience of the other attendees.
The Plant Automation & Decision Support Sessions will provide plant automation and information technology professionals a comprehensive program on the latest developments in this rapidly evolving field. This year, there will be several Q&A forums answering questions on alarm management, decision control systems and advanced process control. The Plant Automation & Decision Support presentations will focus on big data and emerging solutions.
Monday, October 5 will be Cybersecurity Day. This is a first for this conference. Cybersecurity has grown from a few presentations in Plant Automation to its own separate session. This will not be “Cyber 101” nor will it be “techno-speak”. The presentations and panels will focus on why cybersecurity is now a paramount issue in the refining and petrochemical industries. Presentations will focus on contemporary cybersecurity topics including industrial control systems and procurement. One-day registration is available.
On Wednesday, October 7, in the spirit of the presidential debates, the Plant Automation & Decision Support sessions will offer a “Vendor Debate”. This will be a forum featuring vendors speaking on various topics and answering questions from a moderator and the audience.
Young Leaders Town Hall - Led by young leaders for other young up-and-coming members of the industry. This session features Peer-to-Peer topics such as: effective communication; keys to success; how to become self-directed; becoming the leader in the room; career development; quality of life; and other topics as identified by the discussion leaders.
The Tabletop Exhibition will showcase catalyst, chemical, and technology providers, engineering companies, licensors and other industry suppliers in one convenient location.
Save $100 off full conference registration by registering by August 28th, and save an additional $200 by reserving a room in the AFPM block when you register. On-line registration closes September 25.
Registration fees increase by $100 on August 29th.
