BRUSSELS, September 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

The European Petrochemical Association (EPCA) will hold its 47th Annual Meeting from 6 to 8 October 2013 in Berlin. More than 2,600 delegates will attend one of the world's most important meetings of the chemical industry under the theme "Leadership and the Chemical Industry". Among the attendees are mostly CEOs and other top-level executives from EPCA's almost 700 member companies but also high-ranking guests.

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During the two-day event participants can organise meetings and attend business sessions and networking events in amongst others the hotels Pullman Schweizerhof and InterContinental located at walking distance from each other in Berlin. They also have the opportunity to hear from opinion leaders and influential speakers with a global reach: the Annual Meeting will feature a keynote speech by President Bill Clinton, founder of the Clinton Foundation and 42^nd President of the United States. Other examples are Dr. Kurt Bock, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, Mohamed H. Al-Mady, Vice Chairman and CEO of SABIC CORP., and historian Niall Ferguson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University.

There will also be a special session on "Leadership and chemical supply chains". This session will compare the EPCA 2013 report "Sustainable Chemical Supply and Logistics Chains: the Path Forward" with the vision of supply chain experts.

Annual meeting is also framework for educational initiatives

In a teachers' workshop within the Annual Meeting, 30 science teachers from all over the world are given the opportunity to meet chemical industry leaders and to experience them closely during several events. The workshop complements EPCA's numerous educational initiatives, intending to encourage young people to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and to promote careers in the chemical industry.

Within the educational context, EPCA has also become an official partner of the 25^th Berlin mini-MARATHON that will take place in Berlin on 28 September 2013 as part of the famous Berlin Marathon one day after. All of the 1,500 schools which are invited to participate in the mini-MARATHON and everyone of the 40,000 athletes at the marathon will be provided with EPCA's two vivid educational films "Chemistry: All About You" and "Science: Where Can It Take You?" The first one highlights that chemicals are everywhere, offering sustainable solutions to access food, drinking water, comfortable clothes, and instant communications. The second film promotes gender equality and shows that a STEM education leads to interesting and rewarding careers in the chemical industry.

About EPCA

EPCA (The European Petrochemical Association) is a Brussels based international non profit association that serves a global network for the chemical business community consisting of producers of petrochemicals, their suppliers, customers and service providers. In this industry segment EPCA is the platform to meet, exchange information and transfer learning as well as think tank challenging business as usual approaches. EPCA counts over 700 member companies from 53 different countries that stand for an aggregate turnover of over 4.2 trillion €. EPCA was founded in 1967.

Homepage: http://www.epca.eu

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/epcanetwork

Press contact:
Cathy Demeestere
Secretary General
Avenue de Tervueren 270
BE-1150 Brussels
Tel.: +32(0)2-741-86-60
Fax: +32(0)2-741-86-80
E-Mail: cathy@epca.eu

SOURCE European Petrochemical Association