Conference Alert: Trail Blazers and Super Highways at E2DS Conference

On 3 and 4 May 2011, IHS and Jane’s will host the Energy, Environment, Defense and Security 2011 Conference in Washington D.C. The intent of the conference is to engage the aerospace, defense and security business centers in energy, environment and counter climate change markets. Many of the larger, traditionally defense oriented businesses have begun to engage in the energy security market and this conference looks at how to leverage their proven expertise to address the security, economic and environmental challenges we face.

The themes for this conference are:

• The unique capabilities of the aerospace, defense and security sector: system-of-systems analysis and integration, systems engineering and C2 expertise applied to energy and environmental management
• Earth observation – the sector’s top-down contribution to our understanding of the environment and starting point for collaboration with academia and government
• The scale of the environmental challenge – what we know and what we don’t know and how the aerospace and defense sector can contribute
• National and international energy security plans – the key role of the aerospace, defense and security sector, in tandem with armed forces, in securing energy supply
• The need for collaboration between science, politics and the private sector worldwide – and how, where and why this is already happening in key areas
• Innovation from within the A&D industry and from the cross-fertilization of ideas with other sectors: for example, financial, general engineering, utilities and insurance

The DOD Energy Blog is often asked to help spread the word on conferences of this sort and we try to help where appropriate. When Nick Cook from Dynamixx called to provide the information on the conference, I unloaded on him. As the larger defense firms begin to engage in this vital area, they will find lots of small business blazing the trails. The concern for small business is that the larger firms will come in and build super highways on the trails blazed. When the industry behemoths become engaged (which is a good thing) they have their own gravitational field and tend to move things. Things like the cost to attend conferences.

As a small business owner, it is financially tough to participate in these conferences, track the changes and interact with the larger firms engaged in this work. A grand to a small business is a significant chunk of the business development budget. Much to my surprise, Mr. Cook listened.

Government and Military get in for free and now, small business can get a reduced rate. If you are a small business, please contact Nick Cook at nick@dynamixx.co.uk for a reduced rate. I am pleased that the big boys are getting into the fight. Small business is and will continue to be the back bone of the American economy and this effort by Dynamixx helps level the playing field. Thanks, Nick! Dan Nolan