ICIS Chemicals Confidential: June 2009 Archives

Photo: Ruby Wax at the Madrid EPL

By Barbara Ortner on June 30, 2009 5:11 PM

Ruby Wax and David Cartwright, Ineos P&O June 2009.jpg

This happy photo was snapped at the Madrid EPL on 25 June 2009, where Ruby Wax was the speaker. Here she is with EPL stalwart David Cartwright, enjoying a cosy moment at the dinner on Thursday night.

Since it was a forum for chemicals and polymers people, dinner guests were pleased to report back that the tiny comedian was generous in attributing her photogenic good looks to the plastics industry.

Ruby's theme was Communication but as my colleague Nel points out, there's no communication problem in the photo here.

Click here for "Boiling hot at EPL Madrid."

First outing for new fluoropolymer Wimbledon roof

By Barbara Ortner on June 30, 2009 12:18 PM

Wimbledon Andy Murray Centre Court 29 June 2009 Rex.jpg

At last the new roof on Centre Court, Wimbledon, was rolled out on Monday evening, and in all the fuss about the roof and of course the first tennis match beneath it, and the lateness of the hour, was anyone interested in what it was made of?

According to its designers, Populous, the retractable roof is made of "durable Tenara fabric, concertinaed across the span of the ceiling. Held up by ten 77 metre roof trusses, each weighing 70 tonnes, the fabric displays a 40% translucency which allows light to penetrate and crucially reach the grass below. It takes a maximum of ten minutes to close the structure which used approximately 5,200 sq m of fabric to create. 100% of materials used for the roof are recyclable."

And what is this wonder-product Tenara? It's PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (PTFE) - most commonly known by its DuPont brand name Teflon.

While on the subject of tennis, it has been brought to the Blog's attention that the annual EPCA tennis tournament, held at the conference for many a year, has been dropped along with the other sports events, because of the relatively low number of participants. Sign of the times ...

Click here for more blog postings on spectacular petrochemical roofs!

Sports

Springsteen at Glastonbury in comfort

By Barbara Ortner on June 29, 2009 4:49 PM

bruce springsteen glasto 27 june 2009 photo Rex.jpg

I was watching Bruce Springsteen's set at the Glastonbury Festival last night, recorded from Saturday, marvelling at his energy and how wonderfully comfortable it was to be watching with my feet up at home without having waited six hours to get near the front for the same kind of view. Even better, in real life (IRL) it took two-and-half-hours, but the BBC cleverly condensed it to just the good stuff. When I saw him in London at the Emirates Stadium last year, it had all the worst aspects of the IRL experience: he was a tiny blur in the distance, and it took ages to get home afterwards.

Still flying the flag for authenticity, Will Beacham, ICIS Chemical Business (ICB) European bureau chief, is immersing himself in the full Glasto experience and will be staggering back into the office tomorrow. He has promised me a piece for my Blog - something about the festival with a chemicals angle, and with accompanying photos. I'm curious to see how that's going to work out. Watch this space.

Boiling hot at EPL Madrid

By Barbara Ortner on June 29, 2009 12:39 PM

All the news and gossip from last week's European Petrochemical Luncheon (EPL) in Madrid is gradually filtering back to the Blog. All anyone could talk about at the time was the heat: 37 deg C and extremely dry. "I feel like I'm turning to dust," said one Houston visitor, more used to the 104 deg F (40 deg C) and 100% humidity of Houston in the previous week.

The turnout was very good - about 130 by all accounts - with quite a few of the usual suspects quite star-struck by the after-dinner speaker, Ruby Wax. Fitting in with traditional Spanish culture, the petchem delegates were up late on Thursday night in the bar of the Westin Palace, where news of Michael Jackson's death broke during the evening, and there was much reminiscing and telling of jokes in poor taste, as so often happens at petchem events, into the early hours.

A few sights which took the fancy of the Blog's contributors:

Museum of Ham

Dictator Dolls

dictator dolls.jpg

PS When one reader commented that he didn't get the relevance of the photos, our photographer commented: "Ham and dictators - you don't get more Spanish than that."

(Disclaimer: Opinions belong to the characters quoted, and do not reflect those of the Blog.)

Fabulous chemical plant photos

By Barbara Ortner on June 26, 2009 9:32 AM

Artistic photos of chemical plant are hidden away in this corner of the ICIS Connect forum, where photographers have uploaded some of their most spectacular shots.

The Blog has followed the trail which leads to group of 37 member photographers on Flickr with a collection of 96 dramatic and stylish photos of chemical plant, taken by real enthusiasts.

With permission from the photographers, the Blog is thinking of running this as a regular feature - taking inspiration from fellow Reed bloggers at "BigLorryBlog" which is dedicated to endless photos of, yes, big lorries (trucks), and has an unfathomably huge and loyal readership.

"Eastman Plant in Malaysia" by Hanim Rafar.

Plant 2 LyondellBasell plant at Maasvlakte.jpg

"The new LyondellBasell factory at the Maasvlakte" by Peet.

"Solvay factory near Barcelona, Spain" by Jorge Franganillo.

Ahmadinejad Assails Obama AT PETROCHEMICAL PLANT

By Barbara Ortner on June 25, 2009 3:00 PM | 2 Comments

Ahmadinejad June 2009 photo rex_940747a[1].jpg

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told President Obama on Thursday to avoid interfering in Iran's affairs, during a cermony to open an Iranian petrochemical plant at Assaluyeh, according to a small paragraph spotted right at the bottom of this article in the New York Times by my eagle-eyed colleague, ICIS sub-editor Kristian Vieru.

Musical interlude at NPE in Chicago

By Barbara Ortner on June 24, 2009 5:43 PM | 1 Comment

ICIS news has been out in force at the major National Plastics Exhibition (NPE) in Chicago, for this whole week 22-26 June. Attendance at the conference was a bit down, but the number of exhibitors was up.

Al Greenwood, deputy news editor of ICIS in Houston has helpfully sent the Blog this picture from the conference.

"This is a bucket band that was playing outside of NPE . Sadly, I thought the buckets would give the name of the company. Instead, they just say "Green Pickle Bucket Band."

NPE IMG_0107 (2).jpg

Plastic windows face wrath of conservationists

By Barbara Ortner on June 23, 2009 1:35 PM

"I'm afraid conservation areas are suffering a plague of plastic windows," the chief executive of English Heritage was quoted in today's Telegraph.co.uk.

"I would never in a million years put one in," he continued.

The conservationist body described uPVC windows and doors as the most serious of all threats to beautiful places of "special architectural or historical interest."

The Blog was amused to notice at the foot of the article in the UK's leading conservative newspaper a series of adverts for uPVC windows - "Double Glazing Sale," "Beautiful Conservatories," and "Half Price Windows Offer," because although the Telegraph's readers may resent all change to the fabric of the nation, they do like to extend and renovate their own homes.

(photo: Breckenridge Conservatories)

Swine flu stalks the ACC conference

By Barbara Ortner on June 23, 2009 9:40 AM

ICIS Houston managing editor Stephen Burns survived the ACC conference, and sends this tale and video ...

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) has revealed that an attendee at its annual meeting in Colorado Springs earlier this month had contracted the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu.

"Our information indicates that this individual arrived to the Annual Meeting feeling under the weather and was formally diagnosed once onsite," the ACC said in an email distributed to participants last Friday (19 June.)

"We are happy to report that this individual is doing well and has returned to work," it said, without identifying the individual or the company concerned.

More than 300 participants from 110 companies were at the meeting on 10-11 June, including many top executives.

Attendees were generally positive over the new venue, despite some grumbling over how hard is was to putt on the super-slick greens of The Broadmoor (not to be confused with the UK's notorious high-security psychiatric hospital) resort's three golf courses.

There was one advantage for the golfers, though - in the thin air at The Broadmoor's altitude of 6,500 feet (2,000 metres), everyone found their drives were going further than usual.

Washing machine replaces water with tiny nylon polymer beads

By Barbara Ortner on June 22, 2009 2:00 PM | 2 Comments

A new green-friendly washing machine -- that uses only one cup of water along with tiny nylon polymer beads - is set to go on sale next year, according to this article today.

The machine leaves clothes virtually dry and aims to save up to 90% of water used by conventional machines, and 30% less energy. Thousands of tiny, reusable nylon polymer beads attract and absorb dirt under humid conditions.

The Blog is just wondering how the nylon beads will impart that newly-washed freshness, or whether additional chemicals will need to be added into the mix.

(photo: Rex)

Enron - London theatre to stage new play

By Barbara Ortner on June 22, 2009 1:55 PM | 1 Comment

A new play entitled "Enron" will be coming to the London stage in September, and the Blog can't wait to see it.

Starring Tim Pigott-Smith as Ken Lay and Samuel West as Jeffrey Skilling, the play at the Royal Court theatre in Sloane Square will be "using music, dance and video to chart the downfall of the US energy company."

The Blog remembers visiting Enron's grand office in London's Grosvenor Place, overlooking the gardens of Buckingham Palace, with its fountain, gym, sweeping blue-carpeted staircase and banks of screens.

Happily most of the former Enron petrochemical traders in London and the Netherlands have made themselves new lives in the industry - Lineke, Stuart, Britta, Jaap, Rob, Roger, Mark, Peter ...

The Blog couldn't help but go to have a look through the ICIS news archives at the articles around Enron's collapse in November 2001 to stir up old memories. Particularly poignant are these pronouncements from the manager of Enron's European plastics and petrochemicals trading desk on their launch of chemical swaps on www.enrononline.com (November 2000), followed by a styrene swap contract in Europe (August 2001): "Companies that hedge against price volatility enjoy extra financial certainty."

(photo: Rex)

Wood Mackenzie staff in the money

By Barbara Ortner on June 20, 2009 8:10 AM

Wood Mackenzie, the energy consultancy and long-term supporter of the ICIS Aromatics Conference, was sold yesterday for £533 million, in a deal whereby 100 of the company's staff share a total payout of about £100 million.

The Blog was delighted to hear only this week that Wood Mac's Matthew Chadwick, managing consultant of its Downstream Oil, will be speaking at the next Aromatics Conference (a jv between ICIS and Paul Hodges' International e-Chem) in Amsterdam in November 2009. The Blog is hoping that Matthew will use his newfound riches to bring a much-needed touch of bling to the occasion.

Billionaire stuck with chemicals after Setanta failure

By Barbara Ortner on June 20, 2009 8:08 AM

Poor Len Blavatnik, bored with chemicals after LyondellBasell's bankruptcy, won't be buying Setanta after all, now they can't broadcast Premier League football.

Chemical jokes - 28 of them

By Barbara Ortner on June 19, 2009 2:46 PM

Never let it be said that chemicals folk don't have a sense of humour. An industry friend has sent the Blog a few samples from this website devoted to hilarious side-splitting chemistry jokes.

After some years in the aromatics business, the Blog's favourite must be this benzene joke.

Q: What is the chemical name of the following benzene-like molecule?

For the answer, go to Chemistry Joke 9

"I'm on the plane" - calling and texting in the air

By Barbara Ortner on June 18, 2009 9:04 AM

businessman laptop mobile airport Rex.jpg

The massed switching on of mobile phones as the plane lands may soon be a thing of the past. Travellers on Vodafone and Orange mobiles will be able to use them on aircraft within weeks, according to this article today. O2 and T-Mobile are already using OnAir, which provides mobile services to more than 20 airlines. Calls cost £2.50 a minute, and British Airways will introduce the system for its service from London City Airport to New York this summer.

OnAir is already available on 15,000 flights worldwide and it has observed that the highest volume of traffic is text and BlackBerry messages, but voice calls rise depending on the destination. The number of people using the system rises after one hour because passengers on short flights will wait until they land to call or send texts.

Click here for Campaign to Keep Planes Mobile-Free

Museum of Broken Relationships

By Barbara Ortner on June 18, 2009 8:11 AM

museum molecular animal.jpg A museum dedicated to broken hearts has been founded in Croatia.

"The Museum of Broken Relationships is an art concept which proceeds from the assumption that objects possess integrated fields - 'holograms' of memories and emotions - and intends with its layout to create a space of 'secure memory' or 'protected remembrance' in order to preserve the material and nonmaterial heritage of broken relationships."

Amongst the exhibits is a molecular animal chemical puzzle from a lovesick chemist in Ljubljana, Slovenia: "An animal constructed out of different objects (chemical puzzle) with eyes glued on and a piece of paper saying who gave me this present." Other exhibits include an axe (the guy chopped up his ex-girlfriend's furniture) and a prosthesis ("it endured longer than our love.") Hmmm ...

Catch the museum on tour this summer in Ireland, Serbia, Croatia and Slovakia.

museum prosthesis.jpg museum axe.jpg

Gold bars with your German chemicals

By Barbara Ortner on June 17, 2009 6:54 PM

The next time I pass through Frankfurt airport on the way to the German chemical heartland, I will be sure to stop off at the new Gold To Go vending machine which was unveiled yesterday.

A German company has launched a new type of automat which dispenses a 1g wafer of gold for €31 ($42.25), 10g bars, or Krugerrand gold coins. All the products come in presentation packs with a certificate of authenticity, according to an article in Business Day.

Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band

By Barbara Ortner on June 17, 2009 9:15 AM

The FT's review of Yoko Ono's London concert this week gave it a four star rating, out of five, despite commenting on "her notorious singing style, a ululating, near-wordless wail, amid a maelstrom of guitar feedback and drone-rock."

The Plastic Ono Band, inexplicably missed from the Blog's previous listings of music with chemicals connections, is described as an "excellent backing band, with Mark Ronson on bass and the inventive Japanese alt-pop star Cornelius on guitar. Expertly marshalled by (Sean) Lennon, they gave real substance to Ono's eccentricities."

(photo: FT)

High School girl discovers polystyrene eating bacterium

By Barbara Ortner on June 15, 2009 11:24 AM

Taiwan schoolgirl discovers PS eating bacterium.jpg

Top awards in last month's Intel International Science Fair go to Tseng I-Ching from Taiwan who discovered a 'red bacterium' derived from mealworm beetles that metabolizes polystyrene, according to an article in Taiwan News which was picked up in this blog posting.

(photo: dhcp.tcgs.tc.edu.tw)

Expat lifestyle - homesick in Riyadh

By Barbara Ortner on June 12, 2009 5:13 PM

Faisalia Tower Riyadh Rex.jpg One of our expat friends working for a couple of months in Saudi Arabia phones on his Skype phone from his flat in Riyadh to say that he is homesick and finding that there is absolutely nothing to do there.

He says that where he is living there are a few restaurants, which all serve the same kind of food and nothing else: no bars, theatres, cinemas. As a beer-loving Irishman, he is finding it particularly hard but not really unexpected, and he says there is nothing to see either. There are apparently several Debenhams in Riyadh and the main recreation for most of the population is shopping.

He tries to cook for himself and has tried dishes such as camel casserole, with camel purchased from one of the local French-owned supermarkets.

(photo Faisalia Tower, Riyadh: Rex)

Koala bears at ICIS

By Barbara Ortner on June 12, 2009 5:09 PM

Nel tells me that her daughter had to write a piece for school last week on endangered species, and went to find a nice picture of a koala bear on Google Images. She was astonished to find that the Number One picture of koala bears was from ICIS.com, and on further inspection was from ICIS blogs: here and here.

Sofia Honore joins Vinmar

By Barbara Ortner on June 12, 2009 4:59 PM

Vinmar has appointed Ms Sofia Honore as its agent for chemicals marketing, based in Lisbon, Portugal, from 1 June 2009, the company announced on Friday.

"Sofia's seven years of petrochemicals experience complements Vinmar's product and market portfolio very well. She will play a key role in the company's aromatics and related chemicals buying and selling activity throughout Europe," the company said in a statement.

Sofia was formerly with Peninsula Trading in Lisbon.

Vinmar's European operation is based in Hoofddorp in the Netherlands.

Michelle Obama chooses London chemicals pub

By Barbara Ortner on June 12, 2009 12:47 PM | 2 Comments

Audley pub.jpg Michelle Obama and her daughters were photographed arriving at London's Audley pub on Monday, choosing the pub already made famous as the traditional meeting place for Europe's chemical elite after the annual Floggers Luncheon.

The Blog was delighted to see this recognition of the nation's pre-eminent chemicals pub, and not only enjoyed the photo spread in the UK's Daily Mail but also was fascinated to see the coverage in "Obama Foodarama", a blog devoted entirely to what the Obamas eat.

Things A Chemist Won't Work With - Thioacetone

By Barbara Ortner on June 12, 2009 12:03 PM

It seems that there are things that even a chemist won't work with. The Blog was intrigued to be sent this blog posting which describes one chemist's experiences of Thioacetone, a compound which has a smell so strong that it has "people ... diving out of windows and vomiting into wastebaskets."

"It merely stinks. But it does so relentlessly and unbearably. It makes innocent downwind pedestrians stagger, clutch their stomachs, and flee in terror. It reeks to a degree that makes people suspect evil supernatural forces. "

The "In the Pipeline" blog, discovered by my Twitter buddy Jonny, also quotes from research that:

"During early experiments, a stopper jumped from a bottle of residues, and, although replaced at once, resulted in an immediate complaint of nausea and sickness from colleagues working in a building two hundred yards away."

New entry for periodic table

By Barbara Ortner on June 11, 2009 12:10 PM

A new element will soon be added to the periodic table, according to this article today on BBC news and forwarded to the Blog by ICB reporter, Mark Watts.

Talking chemicals in Canada's Rockies

By Barbara Ortner on June 11, 2009 12:05 PM

Rockies%20Kananaskis.jpg Even with scenery like this sometimes you have to think petrochemicals. The CERI (Canadian Energy Research Institute) annual petrochemicals conference has been held at the Delta Lodge in Kananaskis, Alberta, for the past few years. ICIS' Nigel Davis arrived there on Sunday ready to give a paper about new developments in the Middle East.

Nigel doesn't play golf so he missed putting through the snow but those that did on Sunday will remember the experience. He hiked up a mountain for a while before being beaten back by the blizzard - in June!

The Rockies are awe inspiring and a fine backdrop for talk about just how Alberta might develop its petrochemicals advantage.

The feedstock potential in this part of the world (well, a few hundred kilometres north of here) is huge but the province has to decide how it can best use the resources nature has bestowed upon it.

25 years of Virgin Atlantic

By Barbara Ortner on June 8, 2009 4:43 PM

Sir Richard Branson of the Virgin Group is doing a guest editor stint today at ICIS' sister publication Flight, and he tells us that Virgin Atlantic's popular 25th anniversary ad is going to make a return to UK TV screens this week. The retrospective ad will be relaunched at half time during the England v Andorra match on Wednesday 10 June. Spot the 1980s references, including Wimpy, Rubix cubes, arcade games and Gordon Gekko-style braces...

Integra recruits two Brussels traders

By Barbara Ortner on June 8, 2009 4:07 PM

Philippe Geominne has joined trading house Integra to trade liquids at its offices in Brussels, Belgium, the company's executive director Gine Fyffe said on Monday.

Geominne was previously a trader at Helm Benelux.

Meanwhile, John Clement, formerly of INEOS Olefins & Polyolefins, would be trading propylene for Integra from August.

By: Nel Weddle

Borat mankini arrest warning

By Barbara Ortner on June 8, 2009 12:07 PM

England football fans in Almaty for the Kazakhstan match (England 4, Kazakhstan 0) on Saturday 6 June were warned not to wear the Borat swimsuit, or "mankini", unless they wanted to be arrested.

Pictures of fans in the green thong reminded the Blog of its friend Rien's retirement party from SABIC, where his colleagues had mocked up the picture of Borat with Rien's face for the farewell presentation.

Leonard Cohen at Mercedes-Benz World

By Barbara Ortner on June 8, 2009 8:00 AM | 4 Comments

Leonard Cohen Mercedes World 2009.jpg On a huge billboard by the M3 the grizzled face of Leonard Cohen looks into the middle distance ignoring the passing traffic as he promotes his one and only show in the South of England at Mercedes-Benz World on Saturday 11 July 2009.

At 75 he's still touring with his own special brand of "music-to-cut-your-wrists-by", since losing most of his previous fortune in dealings with his management. He is probably working a lot longer than he had intended, like some of the elder statesmen in our own chemical industry, still doing deals at well past their retirement dates. But apparently he enjoys it and he's still getting rave reviews, so why not?

The Blog hadn't even been aware that there was Mercedes-Benz World at the famous Brooklands motor racing circuit and airfield near Weybridge, Surrey, although we have long been heralding this year's EPCA opening party at Mercedes-Benz World in Berlin.

Top Chemical Adverts No. 7 - Sasol rugby

By Barbara Ortner on June 8, 2009 7:58 AM

Ladies, sit down to watch this one. It's a stirring advert for the British and Irish Lions June 2009 rugby tour of South Africa, showing the Sasol-sponsored team shirts of the home team off to full advantage.

Chemical engineers develop training programme for cats

By Barbara Ortner on June 5, 2009 5:05 PM

Chemical engineers in the US have developed a training programme for cats, as shown in this video clip which my friend Dan Blank at RB Interactive in the States has been kind enough to forward.

Using the procedures and techniques of the engineer, as well as the classic garb of safety goggles and mitts, two engineers demonstrate the skills involved in teaching "Advanced Cat Yodelling." Not for persons of a squeamish temperament.

ICIS Training goes to Frankfurt

By Barbara Ortner on June 5, 2009 2:36 PM

Frankfurt am Main Germany waterfront.jpg

The ICIS Petrochemicals & Polymers training seminars went to Frankfurt this week. Nigel, Peter and Linda said the course delegates were a good cross section of buyers and sellers, and very keen. By pure coincidence, two polymer business partners - one producer and his customer - found themselves on the same training course.

Everyone was pleased to get a great deal on the hotel rooms at the Intercontinental which, in a clear sign of the times, were going for €99 a head for bed, breakfast and free wifi, instead of the usual room rate in the €200s. Linda's only complaint was that the bottled water in the rooms was an eye-watering €8.80 for 75 cl. The setting on the river was particularly attractive in this week's glorious summer weather, and our trainers were able to sit out on the hotel terrace after their arduous first day of training and observe a gymnastic festival which was taking place along the waterfront.

Even the trainers learnt something, and Peter is at last going to alter the the first morning's timetable which has a tendency to run seriously late once the questions start. The Blog hears that one of Peter's new slides, sourced from LyondellBasell to illustrate the use of polypropylene fibre in textiles, proved very popular with the male delegates (see below).

Molecules with Silly Names

By Barbara Ortner on June 2, 2009 12:06 PM

Silly or unusual names book Paul May.jpg

Some of the chemical names here are SO cheeky that it is hard to believe they are genuine.

Molecules like Arsole, Bastardane, Unununium, Moronic Acid, Dickite, Fucitol and Windowpane. Can they be for real?

Having checked them with my colleague Alex Nimmo, one of the ICIS resident graduate chemists, I am prepared to accept that the list is not a spoof. And it is on the University of Bristol School of Chemistry website, so it comes with impeccable credentials.

Says Alex, "What's really sad is the number of these chemicals I have used or come across and never got the gag! Oh dear, it really says something about chemists."

Anger boils over in Helsinki

By Barbara Ortner on June 2, 2009 10:17 AM

Just back from Helsinki from the European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA) stakeholder day, my colleague Will Beacham tells me that chemical industry delegates were just boiling over with anger at the inaccessibility of the agency, and had set aside 45 minutes for a furious question and answer session on Wednesday.

Click here for Will's full article and related news from the conference.

Celebrities in Chemicals

By Barbara Ortner on June 1, 2009 7:55 PM

Bowing to popular pressure, the Blog today launched a new category: "Celebrities in Chemicals," which has gathered together recent postings on:

Park Ji Sung (May)

Kim Jong Il (May)

Vivienne Westwood (May)

Adam Lambert (May)

Mikhail Gorbachev (April)

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (March)

George Clooney (March)

View the inside of a Shanghai police station

By Barbara Ortner on June 1, 2009 2:24 PM | 2 Comments

Shanghai is still one of the most popular destinations for conferences, but to counter-balance the Blog's usually euphoric postings about the city, the ICIS fertilizer team found the city dirty and polluted, with the Bund turned into a massive construction site, when they visited last week for the annual IFA conference.

The experience was hardly improved by a pickpocketing incident in the conference hotel which meant that one of our senior editors had to spend an evening down at the local Pudong police station getting the event recorded. Although he was accompanied by the hotel's bellboy as an interpreter, the local police were "not welcoming."

The highlight of the trip was as usual the Maglev levitating train to the airport, which at CNY 50 for the eight minute journey was a considerable improvement on the two hour bus journey on arrival from the airport, which had involved some terrifying U-turns and detours.

Click on www.icisnews.com for all the news articles from IFA 2009.

More Shanghai blog titbits ...

ICIS-CBI Shanghai reporting team

Shanghai's Royal Flush

Shanghai Skyline Two Visions

Surreal Moments in Shanghai

(photo Rex: Maglev train, Shanghai)

APIC 2010 in Mumbai - the grumbles begin

By Barbara Ortner on June 1, 2009 2:12 PM

India gate and boats in Mumbai India.jpg

The Blog's Asian colleagues tell me that participants at APIC in Seoul in May were not happy about next year's conference being held in Mumbai.

Delegates from South Korea and Japan had been saying that they had security concerns about Mumbai in view of last year's terrorist attacks in the city.

Northeast Asian delegates noted that they usually preferered locations in Southeast Asia, such as Kuala Lumpur or Singapore. Indeed the 2008 APIC in Singapore saw a record attendance of 1,200 - compared to the 2009 Seoul attendance which was reduced to the low 800s due the global recession and fears of swineflu.

The 2011 APIC conference is already set to be back in Northeast Asia - which delegates expect to be in Japan - and APIC-goers say that this is usually not popular with the Southeast Asian contingent.

(photo Rex: India gate and boats in Mumbai, India)

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