IPLOCA Meets in Venice
The International Pipeline & Offshore Contractors Association (IPLOCA) held its 44th annual convention in Venice, Italy, at the Molino Stucky Hilton Hotel. Venice is comprised of numerous islands and the Hilton is on Giudecca Island just across from the main area of Venice. There were 650 conventioneers in attendance.
Each IPLOCA convention starts off with an extensive cultural program, which includes various tours of the local city. In this case, Venice has numerous cultural sites and the tours included the island of Murano famous for its glass blowing, a gondola serenaded ride through the Grand Canal and to the Rialto Bridge and a visit to a Venetian mask shop. The business aspects of the convention were chaired by the 2010 president Adam Wynne Hughes, Land & Marine Project Engineering. Ltd. The business sessions included presentations on “Deep Water Projects in Brazil,” “The Evolution of the Gas Industry: The Impact on Infrastructure Investments,” The Nord Stream Project: A Secure Gas Pipeline for Europe.” The Novel Construction meeting discussed the working groups underway to produce the second version of the book Onshore Pipelines: The Road to Success. This book is a comprehensive presentation of pipeline construction.
The week’s activities included highly regarded sponsored events such as the annual CRC-Evans luncheon on Thursday, also on Thursday the Caterpillar evening, and the John Fabick Tractor Co. Cocktail Party preceding the final banquet. At the final banquet, IPLOCA has in recent years conducted a lottery to win a car. The proceeds from the lottery are donated to a charitable organization designated by the president. At the Venice convention, Wynne Hughes nominated the charity Water Aid, an international non-governmental organization whose mission is to transform lives by providing access to safe water for the world’s poorest communities. The car was provided courtesy of Welspun Corp. Ltd.
At the final banquet, Wynne Hughes turned over the president’s gavel to the 2011 president Karl Trauner, HABAU Hoch-und Tiefbaugesellscaft m.b.H. IPLOCA’s 2012 Convention will be held Sept. 12-16 in Beijing. The convention will be coordinated with the Seventh China International Pipeline Exhibition, which will be held Sept. 17-19 at the Beijing Exhibition Center.
