14:30 - 17:00 -  PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS
 
WORKSHOP A - Lessons from Past Downturns
and Strategies for the Upturn

CRU's pre conference Workshop will focus on how previous economic downturns affected the aluminium industry and what lessons we have learnt.  The Workshop will look at the nature and extent of previous recessions and how it impacted demand and supply, and what to look for in spotting the beginning of the upturn.  The workshop will also consider what strategies to adopt in coping with the downturn and as importantly preparing for the upturn. 

The workshop will be conducted by:

Colin Pratt,  Managing Consultant, CRU Strategies
Kelly Driscoll,  Head of Cost Analysis, CRU Analysis
Paul Williams, Research Manager, CRU Analysis

WORKSHOP B - Aluminium Price Risk Management

• An overview of PRM
• Transaction Hedging – How much margin is protected?  
• Discretionary Hedging – Risk Management or Speculation?  
• Governance Issues – How well is your Price Risk Management Programme functioning in this environment?

The workshop will be conducted by:

Mary Lou Southwood,  Managing Consultant,
CRU Price Risk Management

WELCOME RECEPTION

18:30 - 20:30 Grand Hyatt Hotel

MONDAY 11 MAY

08:00 Registration & Coffee

09:00 Welcome Remarks
Robert Perlman, Chairman, CRU Group

Welcome Address
Abdulla Kalban, President &CEO,
Dubai Aluminium Company Ltd, Dubai

Chairman Day One - Opening Remarks
Malcolm McHale, General Manager, Special Projects,
Dubai Aluminium Company Ltd, Dubai

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: GLOBAL ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND
THE ALUMINIUM INDUSTRY
Bernt Reitan, Executive Vice President – Alcoa,
Group President – Global Primary Products,  USA

Gaining and sustaining markets for a gulf aluminium industry
Walid Al Attar, Vice President, Marketing & Sales,
Dubai Aluminium Company Ltd, Dubai

Clearing the air - technology as part of the solution
Hilde Merete Aasheim, Executive Vice President,
Aluminium Metal, Hydro, Norway

SESSION 1 – SUPPLY, DEMAND AND METALS MARKET OUTLOOK

Outlook for primary aluminium prices – short, medium and long-term.
Where will new capacity be located? Has the role of funds diminished?

China’s growth and the global economic recovery
Ted Plafker, China Correspondent and Author

Short term outlook
Robin Bhar, Metals Strategist, Calyon Crédit Agricole CIB, UK

Long term outlook / cost drivers
Marco Georgiou, Principal Consultant, CRU Analysis, UK

London Metal Exchange:
• Strategic role of an exchange in a recessionary environment
• The value of hedging in a downturn
• Current activity on the exchange and future developments
George Adcock, Business Manager for Non-Ferrous & Membership,
London Metal Exchange, UK

Aluminium's six price drivers revealed - how funds and
fundamentals affect the price
Jim Southwood, President, CRU Price Risk Management, USA

GALA DINNER
Khan Murjan, Wafi Centre
Buses depart from the Grand Hyatt at 18:30
Hosted By:

TUESDAY 12 MAY

08:30 Coffee

09:00 Conference starts

SESSION 2 – MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
How sustainable is a Middle East downstream sector?
Is a new round of M&A activity underway? Raising finance
in a tight credit environment and the role of private equity –
how difficult will this be? Where is the next set of untapped
regional markets?

China’s post-stimulus demand prospects -
carrying the weight of the world
John Johnson, CEO, CRU, China

Towards a sustainable downstream Aluminium industry
in the Middle East
Uday Patel, Consultant Aluminium, CRU Analysis, UK

Project evaluation
Colin Pratt, Managing Consultant, CRU Strategies, UK

Current environment for M&A and
investment opportunities †

SESSION 3 – ALUMINIUM AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Is aluminium a help or a hindrance to sustainable development?
Role of scrap and secondary. Limiting the carbon footprint of the aluminium industry

Aluminium a sustainable future
Ron Knapp, Secretary General,
International Aluminium Institute, UK

Metal packaging – solution to food waste and hunger?
Neil Cormack Robson, Former Senior Adviser,
Export Packaging, International Trade Centre
(UNCTD/WTO), Canada

SESSION 4 – NEW FRONTIERS FOR TECHNICAL INNOVATION

Efficient power conversions systems reduces aluminium
production costs
Max Wiestner, Industry Manager Primary Aluminium,
ABB, Switzerland

Responding to R&D challenges in a changing industry
Tom Farley, Managing Director, Innoval

Carbon Dynamics: Working Together to meet the
requirements of the Modern Smelter
Robert H. Wombles, Vice President, Koppers Inc, USA

16:00 Closing Remarks and conference ends 

†Speaker to be confirmed

Comments from 2008: