NEFI Energy Expo Returns

At the Southern New England Energy Conference in Newport, RI, conference sponsor NEFI announced that it would hold the 2019 NEFI Energy Expo at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, RI, September 15-18, 2019.The NEFI Energy Expo has historically been NEFI’s biggest trade show and conference event. It is held every two years, alternating with the smaller NEFI Visions Conference. The last NEFI Energy Expo was held at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, on June 14-15, 2017. No Visions Conference was held in 2018, as the organization was wrapping up a period of restructuring, including the hiring of new staff, creation of multiple policy subcommittees, and relocation of NEFI’s Massachusetts office from Worcester to Southborough.

During the past year, NEFI has hired President & CEO Sean Cota, Education Coordinator Joelene Ross and most recently, Events Coordinator Jessica Levaggi. All three are directly and actively involved in planning next year’s NEFI Energy Expo, which promises to be a return to form for the event that has historically been recognized as one of the most anticipated and best attended by members of the region’s energy and home comfort industry.

While specifics of the Energy Expo are still being worked out, Levaggi told Oil & Energy that NEFI plans to set its move-in day for vendor booths and trucks on Sunday, September 15. The trade show portion of the Expo would then take place during the late morning and afternoon hours of Monday, September 16 and Tuesday, September 17, as well as the morning of Wednesday, September 18. Multi-track educational sessions, training classes, and board meetings would be held Monday and Tuesday mornings, giving attendees plenty of time to participate in these as well as the trade show and other networking and recreational activities.

As for the venue itself, the Rhode Island Convention Center is located in the heart of Providence and is part of the Rhode Island Convention & Entertainment Complex, which also contains the Dunkin’ Donuts Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium. The facility houses over 100,000 square feet of exhibition space, 20,000 square feet of ballroom space, and 30,000 square feet of pre-function space, along with 23 meeting rooms, making it larger than the Expo’s previous hosting venue. Features of the exhibit hall include 10 loading dock truck bays, ramp access, a truck marshaling yard, 30’ high, LED lit ceilings and complimentary wireless internet service.

Additionally, the Rhode Island Convention Center is connected via the Providence Skybridge to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center entertainment arena, the Providence Place Mall and the Omni Providence Hotel, putting ample dining and lodging space in close reach. According to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center website, there are some 1,800 hotel rooms located within walking distance.

Readers should look for additional information on the 2019 NEFI Energy Expo in future editions of Oil & Energy and NEFI’s weekly e-newsletter, NEON. For general event inquiries, contact NEFI Events Coordinator Jessica Levaggi at 617-804-2222 or jessica@nefi.com.

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