Held September 16-18, the biennial show, hosted at the Brushfork Armory-Civic Center, will welcome 40 new exhibitors this year, along with nearly all of the event’s 2007 vendors, for a total of more than 225.

Chamber executive vice president Debbie Maynard said the new additions included some vendors who had been part of the show in the past and were returning to unveil new products and services.

Added to the large group of vendors – who hail from 30 US states and five countries – is a diverse collection of attendees who have already registered. To date, guests from several states as well as Canada, Nigeria and Australia are attending, and Maynard said around 6500 people would walk through the Armory doors.

Organizers are still putting together the technical session itinerary, but the chamber said one tentative presentation would be offered by the West Virginia Coal Association on mine permitting and coal’s future.

“With international demand for energy at an all-time high, coal’s dependable supply, affordability and subsequent reputation will guarantee its necessary placement in the forefront of global energy production for many years to come,” general chairman Charles Peters said.

“Taking the current economic climate into consideration, efficiency matters more than ever and there is no better place than the Bluefield Coal Show to see the equipment, tools, technology, products and services that increase efficiency, safety and production in underground mining.”

Registration is free but is required to attend. Pre-registration is encouraged via the chamber’s online form.

Bluefield itinerary

All of this year’s technical presentations will occur over one afternoon, September 16, in the front classroom of the Armory’s main building. The talks will commence at 3pm and are expected to adjourn with the close of the show that day.

Kicking off the forum will be National Mining Association president and CEO Hal Quinn, who will discuss The New Political Landscape for Coal, a hot topic considering recent buzz on cap-and-trade and the Waxman-Markey Bill.

Taking on the operations perspective will be Alpha Natural Resources vice president and chief sustainability officer Mike Peelish, who will present Challenges and Opportunities for Coal. Looking at state coal industry issues such as mountaintop mining removal will be West Virginia Coal Association president Bill Raney.

Finally, the OEM portion of talks will be taken on by Joy Mining Machinery’s global engineering vice president Mike Adamczyk. He will be presenting Innovations for Mining: Smart Services.

Once the sessions are over, all guests to the Bluefield Coal Show are urged to visit the computer stations located at the main building and front classroom for A Voice For Coal, which will automatically submit attendees’ letters to Congressional representatives in support of the coal industry and what organizers of the show have called “”devastating legislation”. The US Senate is expected to begin review of the Waxman-Markey proposal once it returns from summer recess; HR 2454 was passed by the House in June.

The Bluefield Coal Show is on from 10am to 6pm on September 16 and 17, and 9am to 2pm September 18.