SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COALITION: 16th Annual Congressional Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum

On June 12, the Sustainable Energy Coalition – in cooperation with Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Caucuses, and in partnership with the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition, Congressional Energy Savings Performance Contract Caucus, High Performance Building Caucus, Green Schools Caucus, and Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Caucus – will host the 16^th annual Congressional Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency EXPO + Forum. 

This year’s EXPO expects to bring together more than forty businesses, sustainable energy industry trade associations, government agencies, and energy policy research organizations to showcase the status and near-term potential of the cross-section of renewable energy (biofuels/biomass, geothermal, solar, water, wind) and energy efficiency technologies.  The morning program will feature Members of the U.S. Congress and throughout the day speakers will discuss – in person and via live webcast – the role sustainable energy technologies can play in meeting America’s energy needs.

As Congress, the Administration, the business community, environmental advocates, and American voters search for options to stimulate the economy and “green jobs,” as well as address issues of national security, higher energy costs, increased reliance on energy imports, and the environmental threats associated with energy consumption, the EXPO will help address the role that sustainable energy technologies might play.  This will include not only the technical aspects of renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies but also related issues such as economics, jobs potential, environmental benefits, current and near-term market potential, model programs in the public and private sectors, and institutional, financial and legal barriers.

If you would like to apply to be an exhibitor, please review and submit the “Exhibitor Registration Form” provided at the end of this memo. Registrations will be considered and accepted until all available exhibit spaces are filled.

The EXPO and Forum are free, open-to-the-public, and advance registration is not required.  However, if you would like to be added to an e-mail list to receive periodic updates on exhibitors and speakers, please send your name, organization (if applicable), and e-mail address to: [email protected] or [email protected].

Presentations by the speakers participating in the “Forum” portion of the program will be webcast live. If you would like information – as it becomes available – on the speakers, the schedule of presentations, and details on how to access the webcast, please send your name, organization (if applicable), and e-mail address to: [email protected] or [email protected].

*Founded in 1992, the Sustainable Energy Coalition is a coalition of 22 national business, environmental, and energy policy organizations supporting aggressive development of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.  

Business/Organization Name___________________________________________________________

Contact Person______________________________________________________________________

Street Address_______________________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip______________________________________________________________________

Telephone___________________________________________________________________________

Fax________________________________________________________________________________

E-Mail______________________________________________________________________________

Web Page___________________________________________________________________________

Fee Enclosed (payable to “Sustainable Energy Coalition”):

___________$750.00 (main hall – booth space – 4’ x 10’) (2 spaces left)*

___________$600.00 (main hall – table space ~ 4’ x 8’) (4 spaces left)*

*If there is demand for additional exhibit spaces, we may be able to expand and provide several more.

Please make checks payable to:  SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COALITION.

Payment can only be made by check or money order.  We cannot process electronic transfers or credit card payments.  Registration will not be considered complete until payment is received.

NOTE:  The Sustainable Energy Coalition reserves the right to not accept submitted applications both for reasons of availability of space in the exhibit hall and appropriateness of proposed exhibits. Priority will be given to those would-be registrants whose exhibits best demonstrate that specific renewable energy and/or energy efficiency technologies, businesses, and/or services are enhancing national security, stimulating the economy, and creating new jobs in different geographic regions of the country. 

Exhibitors will be allowed to select their preferred exhibit space starting on or about May 1.  First, second, third, etc. choices will be given to those exhibitors whose completed (i.e., paid) registrations are received first, second, third, etc.

I will need:

___________ table (~30” x 6’) [not applicable for “desk-top” spaces in main hall]

___________ chairs (specify #)

___________ electricity  

___________ internet access (probably wireless)  

___________ other (please specify)

____________ I agree to have my exhibit display fully set up by the EXPO’s formal opening time (9:30 am) and will not break down my exhibit display until after the EXPO’s formal closing time (4:30 pm). 

My display will consist of (please describe briefly):

Attendance by Members of Congress and their staff is heavily influenced by the degree to which exhibitors themselves make an effort to invite their congressional delegations and others they work with in the U.S. Congress to the EXPO. Therefore, exhibitors are expected to assist with promoting the EXPO to their congressional delegations. 

Accordingly, I will send a letter(s) of invitation from my company/organization to:

____________ my state’s congressional delegation

____________ all Members of Congress

____________ others (e.g., media, executive branch officials, businesses, NGOs, schools, etc.)

I will be able to help publicize the EXPO by:

____________including information on my company web page and/or calendar of events

____________posting information on social media (e.g., facebook, twitter) we utilize

____________including information in my company’s printed newsletter

____________issuing a news release(s) to my company’s media and/or other lists

____________other (please specify)

To return this form or if you have any questions, please contact:

Ken Bossong

Sustainable Energy Coalition

6930 Carroll Avenue

Suite #340

Takoma Park, MD 20912

Ph.:  301-270-6477 x.11

Fax: 301-270-4291

[email protected]

EXHIBIT GUIDELINES.

1.) EXHIBITS CANNOT BE SHIPPED:  Exhibitors should not plan to ship any part of their exhibits either to the Cannon House Office Building (the shipment will not be accepted by the U.S. Capitol Police) or to our office (we lack the ability to transport anything to the exhibit hall).  When several exhibitors have tried doing this in the past, their exhibit materials were not delivered.

Please plan to bring your entire exhibit with you.

2.) THERE IS NO EXHIBIT MANAGEMENT FIRM:  We are not working with any firm to which you can ship your exhibit in advance or make arrangements with to set up your exhibit.  We have used such firms in the past but have found that tightened security procedures at the U.S. Capitol made it very difficult for such firms to get into the exhibit hall and to set up exhibits in a timely manner.

Again, please plan to bring your entire exhibit with you.

3.) YOU CANNOT SET UP THE NIGHT BEFORE:  On two of the past 15 times we have sponsored this event, it was possible for exhibitors to set up exhibits the evening before.  However, it is highly unlikely this will be possible this year.  Typically, the Cannon Caucus Room (i.e., the exhibit hall) has events scheduled every day, including in the evenings, so it is not possible to get access the night before the EXPO.  Moreover, ever since 9-11, the U.S. Capitol Police have been very wary of allowing unattended boxes, cases, exhibits, etc. to be left in the Caucus room overnight.

4.) PLEASE PLAN TO HAVE YOUR EXHIBIT UP AND READY BY 9:00 AM:  The EXPO officially opens at 9:30 am on Wednesday – June 12.  We therefore request that all exhibitors ideally be fully set up at least 15 minutes beforehand.  The House Cannon Office Building officially opens to the public at 7:30 am.  However, we may not have the exhibit hall’s floor fully mapped and taped out as well as wired for electricity &set up for  internet until about 8:00 am — so you are welcomed to enter the building but you may not be able to access the Caucus Room until about 8:00 am.

5.) PLEASE KEEP YOUR EXHIBIT UP UNTIL 4:30:  As was noted on your Registration Form, you have committed to keep your exhibit up until the formal close of the EXPO at 4:30 pm.  In the past, some exhibitors have shut down their exhibits early and this has proven to be a significant problem for several reasons.  If you cannot comply with this guideline, please let us know and we will refund your registration fee and offer your space to one of the firms on our waiting list.

6.) THERE IS NO FORMAL LUNCH BREAK:  There is no formal lunch break during the EXPO and nothing in the form of boxed lunches is being provided.  However, there is a snack bar in the Cannon Office Building (on the basement level) as well as several cafeterias in nearby buildings (e.g., the Rayburn House Office Building, the Library of Congress – Madison Building, and the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center) — all within a block of the Cannon House Office building.

7.) YOU ARE ONLY BEING PROVIDED A SPACE ON THE FLOOR:  If you have reserved a booth “space” you will be allocated a section of the exhibit hall floor that measures 10′ x 4′.  If you have reserved a “table” space, you will be given a space that measures 8′ x 4′.  The individual spaces are not separated by any form of wall or post-and-drapes. 

The majority of the spaces are in the center of the exhibit hall and therefore not alongside a real wall.  Those spaces which are along an actual wall do not lend themselves to having anything hung from the walls (there are windows, drapes, or chandeliers that preclude this).  The Caucus Room has a very high ceiling (at least 25′ high) so it is not possible to hang anything from the ceiling.

If you have previously requested it, we will be providing exhibitors in the main hall with a table (the size varies from year-to-year but usually they are 6′ x 30″), a green table cloth, chairs (1-4), electricity, and wireless internet access.  For exhibitors using one of the four “table-top” spaces on the dais,  we believe we can get electricity to those sites as well as wireless internet access. We probably can get electricity to exhibitors in the side room but internet access is not certain.

8.) THE DEPTH OF EXHIBIT SPACES IS ONLY FOUR FEET:  Although it is the largest meeting room in the U.S. Capitol complex, the Cannon Caucus Room is still a relatively small space into which we are placing nearly 50 exhibitors.  We therefore ask that you do your best to keep your exhibit within the confines of the space allocated to you — in particular, the depth of each booth or table space is only four feet.  If you protrude beyond the four-foot limit, your exhibit will narrow the aisles, which themselves are rather narrow.

9.) BUILDING ACCESS IS VERY DIFFICULT:  Because the Caucus Room is part of the U.S. Capitol Complex, security measures are very tight and very strict.

Officially, all exhibit materials brought into the Cannon Office Building must be passed through and scanned by one of the table-top x-ray machines placed at all entrances to the building.

The dimensions of the x-ray machine are 18″ x 22″.

This means that all exhibit materials must be able to somehow fit through the x-ray machine.  If you attempt to bring in an exhibit that cannot fit through the machine — either as a whole unit or in parts — you may not be allowed to bring it into the building.  So, when considering the design of your exhibit, please factor in whether or not it will fit.

UNOFFICIALLY, some exhibitors in the past have been able to bring in larger exhibits that did not fit through the x-ray machines.  In some cases, the building guards were willing to check those exhibits using hand-held scanners or just do a visual inspection.  In other instances, exhibitors were able to hand-carry exhibit materials (not containing metal) through the metal detectors that visitors must pass through.

However, this is very unofficial and completely subject to the discretion of the guards on duty.  Do not depend on being able to do this.  However, if you want to risk this approach, you are advised to use one of the less-congested entrances to the Cannon Office Building.  The building has four entrances — the two on Independence Avenue tend to have the highest traffic.  Guards at the other entrances may be a bit less stressed time-wise and therefore more amenable to adjusting the security-clearance procedures.  But, again, this is completely discretionary on their part. 

10.) UNUSUAL OR POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EXHIBIT MATERIALS:  Any exhibitor contemplating bringing in an exhibit that could raise concerns for the security guards at the entrance is strongly advised to let us know well in advance.

More specifically, if you are thinking of bringing in as part of your exhibit anything that remotely could be seen as being explosive, useable as a weapon, or otherwise potentially dangerous, give us a lot of advance notice.

In the past, exhibits that included any liquids, batteries, fuel cells, motors, electronic devices (other than notebook computers or lights) were of potential concern.

11.) CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS:

In the past, we have averaged one or two cancellations/year by would-be exhibitors and to address that possibility for this year, we have developed the following cancellation fee schedule.

Any exhibitor who chooses to cancel its registration for the June 12 EXPO can receive a partial refund of its registration fee according to the following schedule.

Now – May 17: 2/3 refund

May 18 – June 5: 1/3 refund

After June 5: no refund

About the Sustainable Energy Coalition:

Founded in 1992, the Sustainable Energy Coalition is a coalition of 22 national business, environmental, and energy policy organizations supporting aggressive development of renewable energy and energy efficient technologies.

Governing Board Members

ACORE, Bob Lawrence & Associates, Breakthrough Technologies Institute, Environmental & Energy Study Institute, Geothermal Energy Association, National Hydropower Association, The Stella Group Ltd., Union of Concerned Scientists

Associate Members

38 North Solutions, Advanced Biofuels Association, Business Council for Sustainable Energy, Cascade Associates, Clean Fuels Development Coalition, Fuel Cells & Hydrogen Energy Association, Interstate Renewable Energy Council, ISupportSolar.com, Methanol Institute, Nuclear Information & Resource Service, Our Power LLC, Solar Energy Industries Association, SUN DAY Campaign, U.S. Clean Heat & Power Association