- H2 MEET at turning point to take hydrogen exhibition to global level
◆ H2 MEET 2022 to be held August 31st - September 3rd, Halls 9 and 10, KINTEX’s Second Exhibition Hall, Goyang City, Gyeonggi Province
◆ H2 MEET to focus on “Global, Tech, and Networking” to build a global hydrogen value chain
◆ Participants include 240 companies and institutions from 16 countries involving areas of hydrogen production, storage, distribution, and utilization
H2 MEET 2022 will be hosted at KINTEX, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, from August 31st to September 3rd. H2 MEET will be celebrating its 3rd anniversary. It was formerly known as the "Hydrogen Mobility + Show," and is the world's first and largest hydrogen industrial exhibition.
On Wednesday morning, the H2 MEET(Mobility·Energy·Environment·Technology) Organizing Committee*, whose chairman is KIAF President Marn-ki Jeong, held a press conference at the Automobile Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, to announce the progress of the exhibition.
"H2 MEET has grown to become the world's largest hydrogen exhibition, given its number of exhibitors, the exhibition size, and the amount of international participation," Chairman Jeong said during the press conference. "The hydrogen exhibition is at a turning point in establishing itself as a major global event," he added. "The exhibition has greatly improved in terms of quality, and has expanded to include 14 conferences and seminars of 146 speakers and panelists including 72 experts from around the world," he said.
"The organizing committee has made efforts to create a truly global exhibition in which participants can share and spread state-of-the-art technologies," Chairman Jeong continued. "The committee will continue to promote the H2 Innovation Award and the H2 MEET Best Products Award, as well as international conferences to promote technology exchanges in the global hydrogen industry while setting its sights on the next level."
Some 240 business entities and government organizations from 16 countries will participate in H2 MEET 2022, which is an increase of 56% compared with the previous year. The exhibition area has also expanded by 42% to 19,801m2, indicating its growth. The exhibition will be held in Rooms 9 and 10 of the Second Exhibition Hall at KINTEX. The exhibition will be from Wednesday, August 31st to Saturday, September 3rd for four days.
The participants include 48 companies in the field of hydrogen production including water electrolysis, carbon capture, and renewable energy; 75 companies in the field of hydrogen storage and. distribution, including hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen tanks, and hydrogen supply chains; 68 companies in the field of hydrogen utilization including related industries such as mobility, fuel cell, and steel and chemical; and 49 institutions and organizations, including local governments, researchers, and national embassies.
The organizing committee explained that H2 MEET 2022 is focusing on "Global, Tech, and Networking," and that while many countries in the world are emphasizing the importance of carbon neutrality, energy security is emerging as a key topic. The organizing committee then stated that H2 MEET is striving to attract global attention to serve as a means of technology exchanges, business promotion, and networking to build a hydrogen value chain.
Some 65 international business entities and institutions will participate in the exhibition, an 18% increase compared with the previous year of 16 countries, and includes participation of the US, the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, and France.
The organizing committee invited Canada as the Guest of Honor and has designated September 1st as "Canada Day." Canada is a powerhouse in hydrogen production and in the fuel cell field, and with its invitation, synergy effects are expected from cooperation with South Korea. Participants from Canada include the Canadian Embassy of Korea, the Canadian Hydrogen Fuel Cell Association, the Alberta Government Department of Energy, Ballard Power Systems, Powertech Labs, representatives of the Canadian government, and 12 business entities.
During the exhibition period, which is from August 31st to September 2nd, a "Country Day" will be held in the seminar room in Hall 9 for three days. Eight countries, including Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, France, the United States, Spain, the United Kingdom, and China, will host their national days there. Country Day is expected to serve as an event in which countries can share the current state of their hydrogen industry and international trends to revitalize the hydrogen economy as well as to promote friendship and mutual cooperation among countries through technology and people-to-people exchanges.
The organizing committee said that H2 MEET is intended to be an exhibition that leads technological innovation throughout the hydrogen value chain.
To this end, the organizing committee is promoting the "H2 Innovation Award," a comprehensive technology presentation and awards ceremony that organically connects technologies, product presentations, exhibitions, and networking for large global companies, small and medium-sized enterprises, and startups in the hydrogen industry. About 43 business entities applied for the year's awards, three times more than in 2021. Currently, the final evaluation is in progress for 18 finalists, and an awards ceremony will be held for the winning companies at the H2 MEET on August 31st.
In addition, the organizing committee newly established the "H2 Best Products Media Award" to select outstanding companies participating in the H2 MEET. The award, for which journalists vote to select the best candidates, will have been presented to three award-winning companies by the time the exhibition is over.
The H2 MEET organizing committee will hold a number of side events to promote the sharing of technology, trends, and policy directions, including the "H2 MEET International Hydrogen Conference," "Clean Hydrogen Trade Initiative (CHTI) International Forum," "Tech Session," "Online Seminar," and "Hydrogen Energy Design (EDC) Conference", all of which are directly related to the hydrogen industry.
The H2 MEET International Hydrogen Conference to be held on September 2nd will being prepared to share the current status, visions, and strategies of the hydrogen industry. The conference consists of a keynote speech, panel discussion on the hydrogen industry, and theme presentations. The conference will feature keynote speakers, including Alanah MacTiernan, minister of Hydrogen Industry of Western Australia, and Fabrice Espinosa, president of Airbus Korea. The panelists include Dongwook Kim, vice president of Hyundai Motor Company, and Hyungkyun Kwon, vice president of SK Group, Cho Ju-ik, head of Posco’s hydrogen business.
Furthermore, the Clean Hydrogen Trade Initiative (CHTI) International Forum is an event to share the current status and plans for hydrogen trade by country, and the development of the national clean hydrogen certification system. It will be held from 10am to 4pm on September 1st at the Seminar Hall in Hall 9.
On August 31st and September 3rd, tech sessions for participating companies will be held at Seminar Hall in Hall 9. The session is expected to serve a major role in the matchmaking of potential partners and the strengthening cooperation among companies by providing opportunities to share the latest technologies and visions of the participants. About 11 business entities and institutions, including Iljin Hisolus, the Korea Institute of Energy Research, AVL Korea, and Loop Energy will participate in the session.
H2 MEET aims to be "a network hub" connecting the value chain of the global hydrogen industry in which a number of Korean and international companies and institutions participate.
The organizing committee along with KOTRA, will host the "Global Business Export Conference" from August 31st to September 3rd in the Exhibition Hall. The event is being prepared to promote business trade among business entities and buyers while supporting Korean small and medium-sized enterprises attempting to enter overseas markets. Almost 20 companies from 11 countries have applied for participation as buyers thus far.
Moreover, a number of stakeholders in the hydrogen industry plan to sign MOUs during the exhibition. On August 31st, a "Welcome Reception" will be held to encourage exchanges among domestic and invited buyers from overseas, participating companies, and other related organizations.
Meanwhile, H2 MEET has prepared a number of full prevention measures in consideration to the potential spread of COVID-19. All exhibitors and visitors are required to wear a mask, and hand sanitizer dispensers will be ubiquitous. Frequent use is recommended. In order to manage the number of visitors anticipated at the exhibition hall, pre-registration is available. Face-to-face contact will be minimized through the installation of an unmanned registration desk. The entrance and exit of the exhibition hall have been separated and a circulation line has been configured to go in one direction. The event venue will be well ventilated for an hour after operating the air conditioning system for a couple of hours.