Natural gas buyers, from metals companies to food and paper processing conglomerates, and some of the largest chain stores, will be attending the GasMart 2007 conference hosted by Intelligence Press Inc. (IPI) in the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place Hotel in downtown Chicago, May 9-11. This 21st annual event features an all-new focus on its exclusive Market Network Center where buyers and sellers meet.

Initial Sponsors in the Market Network Center include BP Canada, ConocoPhillips, EnergyUSA-TPC, the IntercontinentalExchange (ICE), Nexen Marketing, the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), Shell Trading, TransCanada and Bentek Energy.

GasMart’s Market Network Center is the go-to place for natural gas buyers and sellers. At GasMart buyers can attend educational sessions on gas supply and portfolio management and then go into the Network Center in the next room and meet a number of major gas sellers and pipeline operators. More than 150 buyers have signed up to attend so far, and the list is growing.

“The gas marketers in the Network Center are mostly companies that send a lot of natural gas into the Midwest market,” said Ellen Beswick, IPI publisher. “It’s a small hall and an exclusive group. If you’re buying or trading gas, these are the people you need to talk to.”

Besides the main conference business, attendees can choose between participating in a golf tournament or watching a Chicago Cubs baseball game, sponsored by NYMEX, from a luxurious Wrigleyville Rooftop. ICE is hosting a cocktail reception on May 10 and a workshop on electronic trading and products the following day.

Registration is open at gasmart.com or call 800-427-5747 for information about space in the Market Network Center. Just a handful of sponsorships are still available. GasMart host IPI is an independent publishing company that has been serving the energy industry since 1981 with leading news and price survey reports for the natural gas market in its publications: Natural Gas Intelligence, Daily Gas Price Index, Weekly Gas Price Index and Power Market Today at https://intelligencepress.com.

In addition, Intelligence Press provides historical price data and produces natural gas reference products such as a glossary, pipeline map, natural gas infrastructure and storage CD-ROMs. IPI has been hosting the annual GasMart event since 1986. It also sponsors several natural gas futures workshops during the year.

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