WGC2021 Risk Assessment and Contingency Plan
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IGU Executive Committee meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 4-5 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
IGU Council meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 16-30 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
WGC2021 Risk Assessment and
Contingency Plan
Document relates to agenda item 11.1
29.10.2020
IGU Executive Committee meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 4-5 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
IGU Council meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 16-30 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
Executive Summary
Background
Against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and the negative impact it is having in foreign travel and
the management of international events, the Steering Committee (SC) of WGC2021, at a meeting held on
15th September 2020, produced a document with an update on WGC 2021 as well as a Risk Assessment
and Mitigation Plan.
The risk assessment was conducted with a final review in September, which concluded that a scenario
contemplating travel restriction being lifted in January 2021 would not be feasible. This would mean that
the event would be severely constricted and could not meet its objectives (advocacy opportunities,
industry insight, networking and revenues including IGU royalty). All in all, the risk assessment
concluded that the impact on the event would be high due to both a foreseeable low participation from
international attendees (speakers, exhibitors, etc.) and to highly likely severe budget cuts in exhibition,
sponsorship and delegate spend.
A series of mitigation options were contemplated, namely postponing the event to the first half of 2022,
holding a hybrid event in June 2021 and an outright cancellation of the event. The option of postponement
to the first half of 2022 was chosen as this option was estimated to reduce the pandemic and industry
risks, resulting also in an estimated royalty figure for IGU of US$1.9m (vs. US$2.1m pre-pandemic
estimate in January 2020).
After a series of conversations with the WGC2021 NOC it was agreed to request the Council to approve
the postponement of WGC2021 to May 2022. Additionally, an amendment of the agreement between IGU
and the Host of WGC2021 would need to be signed whereby the 28th World Gas Conference will be
hosted in 23-27 May 2022 and a Pre-Payment of the royalty sum will be made to IGU in September 2021
at the rate of 10% of all registration fees paid by the delegates as well as 10% of the gross exhibition
income.
In addition, with the approval of the postponement of WGC2021 to 2022, the extension of the current
mandate of the CC to the date of the next handover of the IGU Presidency (May 2022) is also included
having had the acceptance of all IGU Committee Chairs. In addition, In order to harmonize all IGU
calendars, it would also be advisable also to extend the current term of the PAMs in one year to end in
2022. Finally, approval from the Council is requested to confer upon Mr. Luis Bertrán the title of
Honorary Secretary General upon ending his mandate as IGU SG
2
IGU Executive Committee meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 4-5 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
IGU Council meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 16-30 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
The EXC is asked to endorse / the Council is asked to APPROVE the rescheduling of the WGC2021
from June 2021 to 23-27 May 2022 and the extension of the IGU President’s mandate.
Under EXC endorsement and Council approval of the postponement of WGC2021 to 2022, the
extension of the current mandate of the CC to the date of the next handover of the IGU Presidency
(May 2022) is also included having had the acceptance of all IGU Committee Chairs
The EXC is asked to endorse, and the Council to approve, in the event of the Council’s approving the
postponement of WGC2021 to 2022, the extension of the current PAM term to 2022.
The EXC is asked to endorse and the Council to approve, conferring upon Mr. Luis Bertrán the title of
Honorary Secretary General upon ending his mandate as IGU SG
3
IGU Executive Committee meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 4-5 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
IGU Council meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 16-30 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
WGC2021 Risk Assessment and Contingency Plan
1. Background
The current Covid-19 pandemic is having a large impact across a number of activities, one of them being
the management of international events. Travel restrictions still prevailing all over the world and the lack
of perspectives on finding a vaccine in the coming months point to a scenario of still reduced business travel
for the year 2021, at least for the first half.
In addition, the financial strain suffered by companies in the energy industry worldwide have led to a sharp
reduction in expenses, Major energy companies’ budgets were cut more than 30% due to the plunge of oil
and gas prices, with a significant impact on business travel and organizing or attending international events.
Against this backdrop, the Steering Committee (SC) of WGC2021, at a meeting held on 15th September
2020, produced a document with an update on WGC 2021 as well as a Risk Assessment and Mitigation
Plan (attached hereto as Appendix 2).
2. Risk Assessment
A series of scenarios were drawn in July 2020 and further updated in September (please see Appendix 2)
for which the following risk factors were used, which have an impact on the quantity and quality of
participants attending:
- International travel restrictions due to COVID-19 pandemic
- The industry’s financial distress due to low oil and gas prices and the global pandemic situation
The review made in September concluded that a scenario in which travel restrictions would be lifted in
January 2021 would not be feasible. This would mean that the event would be severely constricted and
could not meet its objectives (advocacy opportunities, industry insight, networking and revenues including
IGU’ royalty). All in all, the risk assessment was based on the following assumptions:
- The mass supply of a COVID-19 vaccine and medicines not available anytime soon
- Strict safety policy of global companies maintained, heavily restricting business travel
- Low oil & gas prices all through 2020 (and possibly in 2021) restrict event participation budgets
The risk assessment therefore concluded that the impact on the event would be high due to:
- A foreseeable low participation from international attendees (speakers, exhibitors, etc.)
- Highly likely severe budget cuts in exhibition, sponsorship and delegate spend
3. Mitigation Plan
A series of mitigation options were contemplated, namely (please see Appendix 2):
1) Postponing the event to the first half of 2022
2) Holding a hybrid event in June 2021 (assuming heavily restricted international travel)
3) An outright cancellation of the event
4
IGU Executive Committee meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 4-5 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
IGU Council meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 16-30 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
After a thorough analysis, the first option (postponement to 1st half of 2022) was chosen as this option
was estimated to reduce the pandemic and industry risks, based on the following assumptions:
- A mass supply of vaccine and medicine anticipated (safety policy of companies would allow
business travel)
- Energy demand and prices would grow as economies revitalize, recovering to pre-pandemic levels
- A foreseeable strong appetite to attend the first major international gas conference and exhibition
after the pandemic, thereby attracting a high number of foreign participants
The option of a postponement cast an estimated IGU royalty of US$1.9m, vs. the initial pre-Covid-19
estimate of US$2.1m (made in January 2020). As reference, the IGU financial plan presented in 2019 had
an estimate of US$1.7m as royalty coming from WGC2021.
The other two options were disregarded for the following reasons:
- A hybrid event in June 2021 would not avoid a huge financial loss for the event - estimated in
US$4m (no income received from exhibition) - nor would it help IGU to achieve fundamental
advocacy, strategy and top-level networking objectives, thereby resulting in a similar outcome as
that from a cancellation
- Cancelling the event, on the other hand, would result in a lower loss (US$1m) but would not help
achieve IGU’s objectives
However, it was pointed out that the postponement of the event to 2022 needed to be approved by the IGU
Council in November 2020 in order both to keep the timeline of the project manageable and the engagement
with the global gas industry running its due course.
Failing that, the calendar would become uncertain due to circumstances beyond the control of the Parties,
making the event commercially impracticable whereby the event cancellation would become inevitable.
4. Further developments
After a series of conversations between the IGU Secretariat and the WGC2021 NOC it was agreed to request
the Council to approve the postponement of WGC2021 to May 2022 (instead of June) so as to take
advantage of both a cooler weather and a tactical calendar advantage vis-à-vis other industry events.
Additionally, and due to the delay in the royalty payment to IGU brought by the postponement of the event,
an amendment of the agreement between IGU and the Host of WGC2021 would need to be signed (attached
hereto as Appendix 4) whereby the 28th World Gas Conference will be hosted on 23-27 May 2022 and a
Pre-Payment of the royalty sum will be made to IGU on 8th September 2021 at the rate of 10% of all
registration fees paid by the delegates as well as 10% of the gross exhibition income, invoiced on 1st
September 2021 calculated on revenues received at that date.
5. Other proposals
The work programs of IGU Committees, which execute the Triennial Work Programme, conclude at the
end of a Presidency. With a new Presidency, Committees shift their focus to the new TWP. It is not practical
for Committees to focus concurrent work plans.
5IGU Executive Committee meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 4-5 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
IGU Council meeting. Electronic session 2/2020, 16-30 November 2020, Agenda item 11.1
It would therefore be necessary to extend the current mandate of the CC and its members in one year to
May 2022, when the IGU Presidency would be handed over from Korea to China.
A consultation with CCs yielded a general agreement on the extension of their mandate
In order to harmonize all IGU calendars, it would be advisable also to extend the current term of the PAMs
in one year to end in 2022. The PAM list would then be renewed at the first Council meeting of the Chinese
Presidency in 2022 so therefore the next PAM triennium would be 2023-2025.
Finally, the establishment of IGU’s Permanent Office in July 2021 will be accompanied by a new Secretary
General (SG) taking the position, in replacement of the current SG Mr Luis Bertrán
Mr Luis Bertrán will have held the positions of IGU Deputy SG and IGU Secretary General between 2014
and 2021, with achievements such as, among others, the growth in membership, a successful management
of the transition period to a permanent Secretariat and an optimization of IGU revenues through an
improved business model for events.
The IGU Council may confer the title of Honorary Officer to recognise a person who has rendered particular
service to IGU, this being the case for Mr Bertrán
The EXC is asked to endorse / the Council is asked to APPROVE the rescheduling of the WGC2021
from June 2021 to 23-27 May 2022 and the extension of the IGU President’s mandate
Under EXC endorsement and Council approval of the postponement of WGC2021 to 2022, the
extension of the current mandate of the CC to the date of the next handover of the IGU Presidency
(May 2022) is also included having had the acceptance of all IGU Committee Chairs
The EXC is asked to endorse, and the Council to approve, in the event of the Council’s approving the
postponement of WGC2021 to 2022, the extension of the current PAM term to 2022.
The EXC is asked to endorse and the Council to approve, conferring upon Mr. Luis Bertrán the title of
Honorary Secretary General upon ending his mandate as IGU SG
Appendixes
Appendix 1. Vice presidency letter asking for the postponement of the WGC2021
and presidency
Appendix 2. WGC2021 Update, Risk Assessment and Mitigation Plan
Appendix 3. FAQ for WGC2021 postponement and implication
Appendix 4. Amendment to the agreement between IGU and Korea Gas Union
(“KGU”) as the Host of the 28th World Gas Conference
6Appendix 1.
Vice presidency letter asking for the
postponement of the WGC2021 and presidencyKANG Joe
보낸 사람: liyalan
보낸 날짜: 2020년 8월 25일 화요일 오후 5:30
받는 사람: KANG Joe
제목: follow-up with the 3rd PAG meeting
Dear Joe,
Thank you for the meeting yesterday. I would like to follow up on some suggestions. Permanent secretariat, IGU
events, Presidency terms are closely linked. Therefore, we need to adopt a holistic approach to the change.
First of all, I would like to thank you for running the IGU during this extraordinary time. IGU reacted quickly and
effectively to the new environment and have made steady progress under your leadership. I am confident that
we could make right decisions for the IGU.
According to the estimation by Rodney, WGC2021 revenue could be reduced by up to 90% due to the pandemic
if international travel could not resume by the end of the year. This seems to be the real scenario we have to
deal with. WGC is a major source of income for the IGU. Hosting WGC2021 in such case and at the same time
establish permanent secretariat would be financially invariable.
Therefore, my suggestion is to postpone WGC2021 for one year. I suggest the WGC to be hosted early summer
in June instead of March, as it would be still quite cold and many CEOs will be very busy at the beginning of a
year. I’m afraid that they don’t have enough time to prepare their participation.
To this end, I would like to propose that Korean presidency to be extend for one year. Mr. President, you have
been doing an excellent job in dealing with the pandemic. I trust you to lead us through this extraordinary time,
and deliver a successful WGC.
In such case, all IGU activities, including LNG series and IGRC, should be postponed accordingly.
Chinese triennium will be 2022-2025, and the new presidency will be 2025-2028.
If you need any further assistance from the Vice Presidency, please feel free to let me know.
Kind regards
Yalan
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在 2020-08-20 13:30:59，"KANG Joe" 写道：
Dear SC members,
1I am asking for your quick reply for your consent on discussing the WGC2021 NOC’s letter at the
PAG meeting as one of the agenda.
Best,
Joe M. Kang
President
International Gas Union
3F, Bongeunsa-ro 316, Gangnam-gu,
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Office: +82-2-563-8104
jmkang@wgc2021.kr
FOLLOW US #WGC2021
From: Rodney Cox
Sent: Thursday, August 13, 2020 2:38 PM
To: KANG Joe ; Luis Bertran Rafecas (IGU) ; Jeongwook
KHANG ; 박 봉규 ; kyunghoon@kgu.or.kr
Cc: Ms LI Yalan ; Dong-Hoon Kim
Subject: RE: A Request for the SC Meeting
2Thanks Joe,
To facilitate discussion and decision a WGC2021 Steering Committee meeting is planned for Tuesday 15th
September. An invitation and agenda will be provided to SC members in the last week of August.
Regards
Rodney Cox
Events Director
International Gas Union (IGU)
igu.org
+61403255592
rcox1@outlook.com.au
From: KANG Joe [mailto:jmkang@wgc2021.kr]
Sent: Wednesday, 12 August 2020 4:56 PM
To: Luis Bertran Rafecas (IGU) ; Jeongwook KHANG ; 박
봉규 ; kyunghoon@kgu.or.kr
Cc: Cox Rodney ; Ms LI Yalan
Subject: Fw: A Request for the SC Meeting
Dear SC members,
3The attached letter has come from the NOC chairman of the WGC2021.
It would be appreciated if you are fine to move forward for the best outcome of both party.
Regards.
Joe M. Kang
President, International Gas Union
Korea Gas Union
3F, Bongeunsa-ro 316, Gangnam-gu,
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Office: +82-2-563-8104
jmkang@wgc2021.com
보낸 사람: WGC2021 NOC
보낸 날짜: 2020 년 8 월 12 일 수요일 오후 2:36
받는 사람: KANG Joe
참조: Luis Bertran Rafecas (IGU)
제목: A Request for the SC Meeting
Dear IGU President,
Please find the attached letter from the NOC Chairman.
4Best regards,
Kyunghoon Lee
Secretary General
WGC 2021 NOC
5Appendix 2.
WGC2021 Update, Risk Assessment and
Mitigation PlanWGC 2021 Steering Committee 15 September 2020 WGC 2021 Update, Risk Assessment & Mitigation Plan A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas 1
CONTENTS EVENT STATUS RISK ASSESSMENT OF WGC 2021 BASED ON SCENARIO 1 MITIGATION OPTIONS - POSTPONEMENT (1st HALF OF 2022) - JUNE 2021 HYBRID - CANCELLATION POSTPONEMENT OPTION : RISK ASSESSMENT AND SUGGESTION DATE A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas 2 wgc2021.org
EVENT STATUS
REVISION OF ESTIMATES
* Scenario 1 assumptions :
√ travel restriction free by January 2021
√ low oil and gas sales price, and event participation budget reduction from TOP 30 companies
Base estimate in 2018 Estimate in JAN 2020 Estimate in July 2020
(IGU Budget) (before COVID-19) (Scenario 1*)
Delegates $ 8.9M $ 8.9M $ 5.4M
Exhibition $ 8.3M $ 12.2M $ 7.9M
Sponsorship $ 2.3M $ 6.4M $ 3.8M
IGU Royalty $ 1.7M $ 2.1M $ 1.3M
STATUS UPDATE MID SEPTEMBER (SCENARIO 1 BASE)
Conference Plenary : 30 speakers / 53 target, Abstracts : 13 submissions / 1,000 target
Delegates Registration open delayed (International travel uncertainty has not improved)
Exhibition $ 2.9M contracts / $ 7.9M scenario 1 target (tracking 37% behind schedule)
Sponsorship $ 1.0M contracts / $ 3.8M scenario 1 target (tracking 53% behind schedule)
A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas 3 wgc2021.orgRISK ASSESSMENT OF WGC 2021 BASED ON SCENARIO 1 RISK FACTORS Risk factors that impacts on the quantity and quality of participants attending : √ International travel restriction due to COVID-19 pandemic √ Industry’s financial distress due to low oil and gas price and global pandemic situation RISK EVALUATION : PROBABILITY AND IMPACT PROBABILITY OF PARTICIPATION RESTRICTION : HIGHLY PROBABLE Mass supply of COVID-19 vaccine and medicine not available soon Strict safety policy of global companies restricts business travel Low oil & gas price in 2020 (and possibly in 2021) restricts event participation budgets IMPACT ON THE EVENT : VERY HIGH Participation from abroad not available (speakers, exhibition, etc.) Severe budget cut in exhibition, sponsorship and delegate spend RISK SCORE : 25, SEVERE CONCLUSION Scenario 1, which assumes travel restriction free by January 2021, is not attainable. Event would be severely constricted and cannot meet event objectives (IGU royalty and advocacy opportunities). A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas 4 wgc2021.org
MITIGATION OPTIONS
1. POSTPONEMENT (1st HALF OF 2022)
Postponement would reduce the pandemic and industry risks.
√ Mass supply of vaccine and medicine anticipated (safety policy of companies would allow business travel)
√ Energy demand would grow as economies revitalize
Estimate in JAN 2020 Estimate in July 2020 Estimate in July 2020
(before COVID-19) (Most Likely-Senario2) (Postponement 2022)
Delegates $ 8.9M $ 0.5M $ 7.5M
Exhibition $ 12.2M $ 1.3M $ 11.2M
IGU Royalty $ 2.1M - $ 1.9M
2. JUNE 2021 HYBRID (SEVERELY RESTRICTED BUSINESS TRAVEL)
Hybrid would not improve huge financial loss of the event (no income from exhibition)
Hybrid would not achieve fundamental advocacy, strategy and top level networking outcomes
In reality, hybrid would result almost same outcome of event cancellation
3. CANCELLATION
An option to minimize NOC loss (early cancellation loss of $ 1M, compared to June 2021 hybrid loss of $ 4M)
Cannot achieve event objectives
If postponement fail to be approved by IGU Council in November 2020, then the cancellation would be inevitable
A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas 5 wgc2021.orgPOSTPONEMENT OPTION : RISK ASSESSMENT
RISK FACTORS
Risk factors that now impacts on the quantity and quality of participants attending are still important :
√ International travel restriction due to COVID-19 pandemic
√ Industry’s financial distress due to low oil and gas price and global pandemic situation
RISK EVALUATION : PROBABILITY AND IMPACT
PROBABILITY OF PARTICIPATION RESTRICTION : UNLIKELY
Mass supply of COVID-19 vaccine and medicine anticipated in 2021
Energy demand and price would recover to the pre-pandemic level
Fuel switching from more emissions-intensive fuels to natural gas continues
IMPACT ON THE EVENT : LOW
Participation from abroad would be available
Desire for the first international gas conference & exhibition after pandemic RISK SCORE : 4, MODERATE
CONCLUSION
• Postponement would be a optimal option to reduce the pandemic and industry risks.
• Event objectives would be met (IGU royalty, top level networking, and strategic gas advocacy opportunities).
A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas 6 wgc2021.orgPOSTPONEMENT OPTION : SUGGESTION DATE SUGGESTION FOR A NEW EVENT DATE : 23–27 May 2022 CONSIDERATIONS Internationally, the event would be the first world scale gas conference and exhibition in 2022 Mild weather Other events : CeraWeek (early March), OTC (early May) Occasions : Ramadan (April), Easter (mid April) A Sustainable Future – Powered by Gas 7 wgc2021.org
Appendix 3.
FAQ for WGC2021 postponement and
implicationsFAQ Sheet Postponing WGC 2021: 5 Key Questions
1) Why is the postponement of WGC2021 being proposed?
Postponement is necessary to maximise key outcomes:
o Quality and quantity of conference participants (speakers and delegates)
o Advocacy, branding, key stakeholders, and member services
o Maintaining a revenue stream critical to IGU’s continued success
This decision enables project management to move from re-active to a pro-active mode.
The Pandemic Advisory Group recommends the postponement of WGC to May 2022 following the
request of the NOC and agreement of the Steering Committee.
2) Why does the postponement of WGC2021 require the extension of the current Presidency?
The direct stewardship of the IGU President is critical to a successful WGC.
The President is required to organize the WGC, establish the NOC and prepare the conference with
current Chairs and members. Details about these responsibilities can be found in Appendix 1.
The extension of the Presidency recognizes that the Presidency, its Triennium Work Plan (TWP) and
the execution of the WGC are inseparable.
The work programs of IGU Committees, which execute the TWP, conclude at the end of a Presidency.
With a new Presidency, Committees shift their focus to the new TWP. It is not practical for
Committees to focus on concurrent work plans.
3) How will this impact subsequent Trienniums?
With the postponement of WGC2021 and extension of the current Presidency, the best option is to
also postpone the next Triennium.
It has been demonstrated that a 3-year term for the Presidency is the optimal period.
o This period corresponds to the IGU’s 3-year event cycle (WGC, LNG, IGRC).
o This also enables an appropriate period for committees to fully address the TWP.
It is important to acknowledge that the incoming Presidency is contracted for a 3-year term and has
commenced preparations accordingly.
4) The WGC, hosted by the IGU, is the global gas industry’s major advocacy platform. How will the IGU
adapt its advocacy efforts in 2021 without the conference?
It is imperative that 2021 will not be a "lost year" for the IGU.
The decision to postpone the WGC until 2022 allows us to pro-actively adapt what was already a
robust advocacy program.
An updated, detailed communications and advocacy plan will be distributed prior to the executive
and council meetings.
5) How will moving the WGC to 2022 impact the IGU 2021 budget?
The budget to be presented to Council outlines there will be adequate revenues in 2021 to operate
the IGU and its programs, while establishing the permanent Secretariat without impacting IGU
reserves. The NOC and SC have agreed to revise existing contract for making a royalty pre-payment to
the IGU in 2021.
1Additional Questions Surrounding the Postponement of WGC 2021
A. Why is May 2022 the best date for the WGC?
May 2022 is the first appropriate date where we can plan a large-scale event with an acceptable level
of certainty.
The May 23-27 window enables WGC to be conducted in mild weather and avoids conflict with major
religious holidays and other significant events and conferences.
Internationally, the event would be the first world-scale gas conference and exhibition in 2022.
B. Was a 2021 virtual conference considered?
Yes, but NOC’s position was that neither the hybrid or virtual options would meet its event
participation or revenue objectives.
Research into benchmark and competitive events, some of which were held virtually this year,
supported this conclusion.
We must recognize the royalty associated with the traditional model (around US $2m) is critical to the
IGU’s financial security.
C. What effect does the WGC postponement have on the April LNG2022 in St. Petersburg?
LNG Event Series Owners (IGU, GTI and IIR) have agreed to prioritise the World Gas Conference and
postpone LNG2022 to 2023 should WGC2021 moved to 2022.
WGC’s strong advocacy focus is an industry priority and postponing LNG2022 avoids cannibalising our
common participants and revenues while ensuring both WGC and the LNG Event Series remain global
standard events.
LNG2022 NOC and SC have implemented postponement mitigation planning. Mitigation plans also are
being implemented with already appointed events (WGC2024 and LNG2025) as well as events under
bid (IGRC2023 and WGC2027.)
D. Does this impact the appointment of a new Secretary General and the establishment of a
Permanent Secretariat in London?
The 2021 Budget includes resources to continue the appointment of a new SG and fund a permanent
headquarters.
Implementation team plans are in place to establish our London Secretariat in August 2021.
E. What are the assumed staffing levels for the Permanent Secretariat upon startup in 2021?
Current plans include a smaller London-based team than originally planned, with several key team
members likely to work remotely.
The final location of the office and initial staff levels will be confirmed by Implementation team
working in conjunction with the Secretary General elect and the Presidency team.
2F. How will the respective Triennium Work Plans be managed?
All current chairs have been consulted and support the postponement of the WGC2021 as well as
extension of their term to May 2022.
The committees will continue to prepare for the WGC program, keep their work updated and current,
and to select the most relevant speakers, etc.
Some committees may be in a position to provide interim reports on their progress during 2021 – and
this could be incorporated into next year’s advocacy and outreach program
G. With the Trienniums pushed back, shouldn’t this November’s scheduled Presidential election also
be delayed a year?
In the spirit of moving from uncertainty to certainty, the entire organization is best served by
proceeding with November’s election as planned.
The President is considering how the successful presidency candidate can immediately contribute
during the period prior to the assumption of their official duties in May 2022.
The IGU has officially informed the two candidates for the 2024-2027 presidency of the potential
change to 2025-28 and they are willing to support the council decision.
H. How and when will the organization communicate the WGC delay to the membership and various
stakeholders?
The Events Director is already in contact with key stakeholders to ensure they aware of, and are able
to accommodate, possible postponement.
The Co-ordination Committee Chair is already in contact with Committee Chairs and Vice-Chairs
IGU Secretariat will communicate directly with membership once postponement is endorsed
NOC will communicate directly with speakers and commercial participants
o Call for Abstracts deadline will be extended after the Council approves WGC postponement.
A public announcement will be made once Council approves this decision.
3Appendix 1.
Narrative for the inseparability of IGU Presidency from WGC from the perspective of TWP
1. Background
WGC 2021
Speaker
Sessions Expected number of
Selection Sessions Speakers audiences
Plenary Invited by 12 53
President /
Current Debates 17 102
NOC
Program
Industry Insights Call for 39 234 10,000
Technology & Papers by
26 156
Innovation Committees
Exhibition - - -
Role of the Triennium Work Plan
o Content provider: Complete TWP leading up to the WGC helps shape the sessions content
and participants
o Event Booster: Promotes the WGC within the IGU membership and helps attract an expanded
audience through the Committee focus on emerging technologies and operational issues.
2. Reasons for the Inseparability
Loss of control and resources to keep moving forward Committees’ work on the WGC event
The existing committee chairs would yield to the new Chairs and their TWP with the new Presidency
and committee would face the difficult task of trying to work on two different TWPs. No incentives,
no rewards – loss of EXCOM seats by past Committee Chairs
o With no control or authority over the Committees and loss of the EXCOM seat and a role in
the management of the IGU, past Chairs would have little incentive to continue their role.
WGC program quality deterioration
o If the Committee work as it relates to the Korean TWP is not continually developed up to the
WGC, the contents will be outdated in 2022 which could impact promoting the Conference
and attracting the industry audience.
Conclusion: Separating the Presidency from the WGC is comparable to trying to conduct the orchestra
from a seat in the audience.
ENDS
4Appendix 4.
Amendment to the agreement between
IGU and Korea Gas Union (“KGU”) as the
Host of the 28th World Gas ConferenceDRAFT
Updated October 16th, 2020
AMENDMENT TO THE AGREEMENT
Between
International Gas Union (“IGU”)
and
Korea Gas Union (“KGU” as the Host of 28th World Gas Conference)
Collectively all are referred to as the Parties.
This amendment is applicable to the Agreement signed among the Parties on 16 October
2014 (the “Agreement”) governing the KGU function of organizing the 28th World Gas
Conference (“WGC”) in 2021.
Whereas IGU, in its Council meeting of November 16th-30th 2020 in electronic meeting
sessions, hosted by Canada Gas Association, approved the postponement of the 28th
World Gas Conference to 23-27 May 2022,
The Parties, taking the above into account, hereby agree on introducing the following
amendments to the Agreement
1) The applicable dates and obligations into the Agreement are to be modified as
follows:
“The 28th WGC will be hosted in 2022 on 23-27 May 2022”
“The 28th WGC will be named WGC2022”2) Clause 3. Financial Risk, Expenses, Royalty of the Agreement will read as follows:
3._ Financial Risk, Expenses, Royalty.
a) The host shall bear all costs related to the organisation of the WGC in the
host country. A royalty sum shall be paid to IGU amounting to 10% of all
registration fees paid by the delegates as well as 10% of the gross exhibition
income and the income from the gross visitor-fees to the exhibition. All
amounts beyond the royalty shall be retained by the Host. The Royalty will be
paid accordingly with the following:
i. A Pre-Payment of the royalty sum will be made to IGU on 8th September
2021 at the rate of 10% of all registration fees paid by the delegates as
well as 10% of the gross exhibition income, invoiced on 1 st September
2021 calculated on revenues received at that date.
ii. When the final royalty sum is due, within two months after the closing
of the conference, the amount paid to IGU will be the total value of the
royalty sum less the value of the Pre-Payment.
iii. Should the final total value of the royalty sum be less than the value of
the Pre-Payment then a refund will be paid by IGU calculated on the
value of the Pre-Payment less the final total value of the royalty sum.
IGU KGU
Joe M. Kang, President Bong K. Park, NOC Chairman
Luis Bertran, Secretary General Kyung Hoon Lee, Secretary General
This amendment is entered into on 3rd December 2020.You can also read
