PennWell Corp. Finalizes Utility Executive Conference Program

TULSA, Okla., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- PennWell Corp., a diversified global media and information company, has finalized the content for its new executive conference that will focus on equipping executives with knowledge about creating a sustainable energy future. The new administration's energy priorities, the 2009 Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and advancing technologies have catapulted the smart grid and a sustainable energy future into the public arena in recent months. This new event, the Electric Light & Power Executive Conference, will be the only executive-level conference to address the questions surrounding these topics.

Keynote speakers for the event are Susan Eisenhower and U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore. Ms. Eisenhower, who is scheduled to speak on the opening day, is the granddaughter of President Dwight Eisenhower and an advocate for public-private effort to upgrade the nation's electric grid. She believes building a national "green grid" is an opportunity to help the national economy.

Gen. Honore, who will close the conference, was instrumental in realigning the recovery efforts in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. As the commanding general of Joint Task Force Katrina, he undeniably changed the course of the disaster. Gen. Honore will offer insights into protecting people and organizations, outlining the principles necessary to lead through unexpected and uncontrollable crises.

The conference will feature speakers from utilities, financial institutions, research companies and consultancies. Topics to be addressed include smart grid development, financing, unconventional power source integration and business strategies for a sustainable energy future.

The conference is being launched and sponsored by Electric Light & Power magazine, one of the electric utility industry's oldest and most highly-regarded publications. It will take place on March 21 and 22, 2010 in Tampa, Fla., and will be an exclusive networking event for electric utility executives. It is designed to provide a venue where peer-to-peer discussion about important industry issues related to the electric grid and energy efficiency can occur.

The inaugural Electric Light & Power Executive Conference will be held just prior to PennWell's 20th DistribuTECH Conference and Exhibition, the industry's leading grid event. By coordinating this exclusive event with DistribuTECH, which is also being held in Tampa, executives can not only network with peers during the Executive Conference, but also extend their stay and attend the leading conference on automation and control systems, energy efficiency, engineering, demand response, renewables integration, power delivery equipment and water utility technology.

"The smart grid and energy efficiency issues have moved into the mainstream in recent months, but DistribuTECH has been covering the technologies related to these topics for years—long before the grid was called smart," said Teresa Hansen, editor in chief of Electric Light & Power magazine, the DistribuTECH advisory committee chair person and the advisory committee chair person for this new executive event. "With this new executive conference, PennWell will now be able to cover the smart grid from a utility management angle. What better way for executives to obtain the knowledge they'll need to help their companies create the smart grid that will be key to their success in today's difficult and rapidly changing economic environment."

"The formation of this new event is strategic because it complements and expands PennWell's power delivery franchise," said Michael Grossman, PennWell's power delivery group publisher. "It complements not only DistribuTECH but also Electric Light & Power magazine, which has been a trusted source of information for electric utility executives for more than 85 years."

For information about the conference, contact Teresa Hansen at 918-831-9504 or [email protected] or Debbi Boyne, conference manager, at 918-832-9265 or [email protected]. For information about sponsorship opportunities, contact Sandy Norris, at 918-831-9115 or [email protected]. Attendees can register online at www.elpconference.com.

About PennWell

PennWell Corp. is a diversified business-to-business media and information company that provides quality content and integrated marketing solutions for the following industries: oil and gas, electric power, water and wastewater, renewable energy, electronics, semiconductor, contamination control, optoelectronics, fiberoptics, enterprise storage, converting, nanotechnology, fire, emergency services and dental. Founded in 1910, PennWell publishes more than 100 print and online magazines and newsletters, conducts 60 conferences and exhibitions on six continents, and has an extensive offering of books, maps, web sites, research and database services. In addition to PennWell's headquarters in Tulsa, Okla., the company has major offices in Nashua, N.H.; Houston; London; Mountain View, Calif.; Fairlawn, N.J., Moscow and Hong Kong.

SOURCE PennWell Corp.