SteelOrbis' 1st Annual Trading Workshop was held Thursday as part of the company's Trade Conference taking place in San Diego, California from Thursday through Saturday at the Omni Hotel.
SteelOrbis kicked off the first day of the Trade Conference with an optional workshop which gathered an array of attendees from a variety of segments of the steel sector, all of whom aimed to learn something about the steel trade that they didn't know before.
Subjects covered at this one-of-a-kind workshop included: Steelmaking and Steel Products, presented by SteelOrbis Americas' General Manager, Murat Askin; Steel Trading, presented by Bernd Neuenkirchen, Coutinho & Ferrostaal Inc, James Perdiue and Trey Duoto of Duferco Steel.
After lunch, Frederick P. Waite and Kimberly Young of Vorys, Sater, Seymore Pease LLP presented on the various ins and outs of steel trade legislation. The Mid-Ship Group representatives, Bob Diamond, Anton Posner, and Brian Kostef then educated attendees on the world of steel shipping and logistics.
Lastly (but not least, by any means), Paul Shellman of NYMEX shared his company's perspective on one of the most controversial topics in the steel market: steel futures. Actually, the majority of Mr. Shellman's time at the podium was spent fielding challenging questions that the audience had on this hotly contested issue.
Aside from gaining knowledge from the informative presentations, workshop attendees were also encouraged to learn from one another, as each attendee was given the opportunity to “take the mic” and briefly introduce themselves, share what they wished to learn from the workshop, and share the area of their own expertise that they could answer questions about later. Lively question and answer sessions were also held following each presentation, giving workshop attendees ample time to interact with the speakers and with each other.
At the end of the workshop, participants were tested on their steel trade knowledge with an open book quiz. The top performers' test results will be announced at the Gala Dinner on Friday.
After the workshop, attendees got to relax and network at the Welcome Cocktail reception. On Friday, the General Session of the conference will begin. Friday's activities will also include a cruise tour of the Port of San Diego as well as a Polynesian-themed Gala Dinner. Stay tuned to SteelOrbis to read about the content of the General Session presentations held Friday and Saturday.