Steel Products

2022 Tampa Steel Conference – Live and Just Six Weeks Away

Written by John Packard


Happy New Year!

The first major live and in-person steel event is just six short weeks away as we prepare to host the industry at the Tampa Steel Conference.

Steel Market Update will once again be working with Port Tampa Bay as we host the 33rdedition of the Tampa Steel Conference. The 2022 TSC will be held on Feb. 14-16 at the beautiful Marriott Water Street Hotel in Tampa, Fla.

Tampa.Steel.ConferenceThis conference is the second largest steel event of its type in North America (second only to the SMU Steel Summit Conference) with an expected attendance of 300-400 executives from the steel, port, trading, and shipping communities. You can lean more and regsiter for the event by clicking here.

SMU and our parent company CRU have successfully hosted several live events beginning with the SMU Steel Summit Conference this past August. We will have protocols in place to assist in keeping the Tampa gathering safe and healthy. We highly recommend attendees be fully vaccinated, including a booster, to protect themselves and others from COVID. Our event in August had 853 on-site attendees, and even though the Delta variant of the virus was in full swing at the time, we are unaware of anyone becoming ill during or from our event. Please be advised that masks will be recommended but not required at this event.

We have expanded the program while maintaining the charm and networking opportunities that have long been associated with the conference.

The program will be the strongest and most comprehensive ever for the Tampa Steel Conference. We will have a strong focus on the economy, steel trade, domestic and foreign steel prices, and what the “new normal” will look like for steel prices during 2022. We have an excellent program with Lourenco Goncalves, CEO of Cleveland-Cliffs, the largest flat rolled steel mill in the United States; Timna Tanners of Wolfe Research; Josh Spoores of CRU; Tom Derry, CEO of the Institute for Supply Management; Jose Gasca of Medtrade, and many more.

Here is what you can expect while attending the Tampa Steel Conference:

Monday, Feb. 14

1:00 until 5:15 PM – Part I: Introduction to Steel Hedging (fee required) with instructor Spencer Johnson of StoneX. This workshop is tailored for those looking to understand financial derivatives as an instrument to hedge price risk, protect margins, protect inventories, or offer long-term pricing to their customers. For information about the agenda, instructors, and costs to attend, please click here or go to:https://events.crugroup.com/steel101/about-steel-hedging-101

Afternoon: Boat tours of Port Tampa Bay (free)

5:00 PM until 6:30 PM – Networking Cocktail Party – The event begins with a networking cocktail party in the Marriott Water Street Hotel for those arriving early.

Tuesday, Feb. 15

8:00 AM until 1 PM – Golf Outing (golf fees required). You can register for the golf outing during the registration process for the Tampa Steel Conference. If you have any questions, or wish to register for golf after you have already registered for the event, please email: conferences@crugroup.com 

8:30 AM until 12:30 PM – Part II: Introduction to Steel Hedging Workshop (fee required)

9:00 AM until 11 AM – Boat Tour of Port Tampa Bay (free)

1:30 PM – Special Program – Decarbonization Impact on Commodities & Flow of Materials

  • Hosted by Lynn Lupori, Head of Consulting, CRU
  • John Anton, Director – Pricing & Purchasing Services, IHS Markit
  • Phil Bell, President, Steel Manufacturers Association

This program will focus on the availability and flow of raw materials for steel making, the need for integrated steel mills, what technologies will be needed and how it will impact the domestic steel mills, carbon border adjustment mechanisms on steel and steel containing goods, and more.

2:30 PM – Special Program – Transportation & Supply Chain Issues

  • Anton Posner, CEO, Mercury Resources
  • Doug Wray, Vice President Commercial, Ports America
  • Tom Derry, CEO, Institute for Supply Management
  • Moderated by Michael Cowden of Steel Market Update

This program will focus on issues affecting the supply chain from a few perspectives including ocean freight, issues at the ports, and from the ports to the customer.

3:30 to 3:50 PM: Break

3:50 PM to 4:30 PM Special Program – Economic Outlook for the Steel Industry

  • Walter Kemmsies, CEO, The Kemmsies Group

Where will the economy be in February and what is the outlook for the balance 2022 and into 2023? How will the Biden administration and infrastructure bills impact the steel industry and much more?

5:00 PM until 6:30 PM – Special Networking Reception – Marriott Water Street Hotel

Wednesday, Feb. 16

8:00 AM – Welcome Remarks from Port Tampa Bay, Mayor of Tampa, and Steel Market Update

  • Paul Anderson, CEO, Port Tampa Bay
  • Jane Castor, Mayor, Tampa
  • John Packard, Steel Market Update

8:30 AM – The Changing Steel Landscape

  • Paul Lowrey, Managing Director, Steel Resource Associates

9:10 AM – Fireside Chat with Lourenco Goncalves, CEO, Cleveland-Cliffs

  • Lourenco Goncalves, Chairman, President & CEO, Cleveland-Cliffs
  • John Packard, Steel Market Update

10:00 AM – Break

10:30 AM – Crossfire Panel on Trade Issues

  • Phil Bell, President, Steel Manufacturers Association
  • Lewis Leibowitz, Principal, Offices of Lewis E. Leibowitz
  • Richard Chriss, President, American Metals Supply Chain Institute
  • Kevin Dempsey, President & CEO, American Iron & Steel Institute
  • Moderated by Michael Cowden of Steel Market Update

11:30 AM – CRU View on Steel Outlook & Pricing Forecast

  • Josh Spoores, Principal Analyst, CRU

12:00 Noon – Lunch

1:00 PM – Steel Buyers Panel of OEM’s and Service Centers

  • John Farley, Senior Vice President and COO, McNichols
  • Bill Spiegel, CEO, Southwark
  • Mike Lerman, President, Steel Warehouse
  • Bob Elsasser, Vice President, Procurement, Behlen Manufacturing
  • Moderated by Michael Cowden of Steel Market Update

2:00 PM – Analyst vs. Steel Executive – What Will the New Normal Look Like for Steel?

  • Todd Leebow, CEO, Majestic Steel
  • Timna Tanners, Managing Director, Wolfe Research
  • Moderated by John Packard of Steel Market Update

2:45 PM – Trading Panel: The Status and Challenges of Steel Trading into the USA

  • Jose Gasca, Chief Commercial Officer, Medtrade
  • Ugur Dalbeter, Managing Director, Colakoglu Metalurji A.S.
  • Moderated by John Packard of Steel Market Update

We have two active steel traders who will discuss the state of steel trade around the world, current steel prices, and what obstacles are impacting steel products into the United States.

3:30 PM – Close of Conference

Registration fees for this live event are $650 per person with a $50 discount for SMU/CRU subscribers and an additional $50 per person discount for companies registering more than one person. If you attended the 2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference or the 2021 Tampa Steel Conference, you are entitled to a $500 per person ticket price. You can find more details about pricing and how to register here

If you would like to sponsor or exhibit at this event, please contact Jill Waldman at Jill@SteelMarketUpdate.com

If you have any questions, please send them to: conferences@crugroup.com

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