Aug. 12

Unprecedented and unexpected growth in the wind power industry has forced the American Wind Energy Association to switch the location of its 2009 conference.

The 2009 Windpower Conference & Exhibition was to be held in Minneapolis, June 7-10. But an explosion in demand for exhibition space and hotel rooms made it clear the conference would be too large for the city. Demand for exhibition space already exceeds the available space at the Minneapolis Convention Center and hotel rooms would be a problem, forcing attendees to stay and commute from far outside of the city, said Randall Swisher, executive director of the AWEA.

"After reviewing the situation carefully and exploring all possible options for expansion within the city center, we reluctantly concluded that Minneapolis could not accommodate the size of the event that was taking shape," he said. "In fact, the event has grown beyond what only about a dozen facilities in the country are capable of handling."

The AWEA is investigating other locations and will make a formal decision soon, Swisher said.

"The U.S. wind energy industry had selected Minneapolis in 2006 because of the state´s prominent role in promoting wind power development and because of the outstanding facilities provided by the city," he said. "We received excellent cooperation from local businesses and city and state officials in planning the event and have enjoyed working with them over the last couple of years."

Contact Waste News reporter Joe Truini at (330) 865-6166 or jtruini@crain.com

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