Attendance by Petroleum Equipment Institute members and registrants increased by 15 percent over 2006 attendance at the 2007 PEI Convention, held in conjunction with The NACS Show from Nov. 6-9 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. There were 204 total exhibitors in the Petroleum Equipment and Services area this year, while throughout the show 173 PEI member companies exhibited. Overall, the 2007 NACS Show attracted 22,800 visitors, a 1-percent increase over 2006 attendance in Las Vegas.

“The PEI Convention in Atlanta was probably the best convention the association has sponsored since we combined trade shows with NACS in 2002,” said Bob Renkes, Executive Vice President of the Petroleum Equipment Institute.

For its 2007 convention, PEI placed a renewed emphasis on the educational sessions it was offering and attendees responded with standing-room-only attendance at Bob Gray’s “I Can’t Remember a Name But I Never Forget a Face” presentation and the “Alternative Fuels” discussion headlined by Phil Lampert and Hoon Ge. Gray’s session was one of three new “Mega-Sessions” that were held during the convention. These sessions—which also included discussions on credit issues and the manufacturer/distributor relationship—were organized to dive deeper into these topics than a typical educational session. PEI also reported record turnouts for both the annual membership meeting and inspirational breakfast.

Other highlights from the 2007 PEI Convention included the appointment of Bruce F. Larson as PEI’s 58th president, along with the naming of Blair D. Shwedo as vice president and Peter H. Ward as treasurer. In addition, eight PEI members were installed as new directors on the PEI Board of Directors.

For additional information on PEI or its membership, please contact Tena Wooldridge or visit www.pei.org. The PEI logo is a registered trademark of the Petroleum Equipment Institute.

PEI is the international trade association for distributors, manufacturers and installers of equipment used in petroleum-marketing and liquid-handling operations. Users of the equipment include service station and convenience-store owners, terminals, bulk plants and airport refueling operations. PEI is comprised of more than 1,600 companies engaged in the manufacture and distribution of equipment used in petroleum marketing operations. Members are located in 50 states and 81 countries. The Institute's headquarters are located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.