18th International Conference and Exhibition on Liquefied Natural Gas

More than 8,700 delegates visited Perth to attend LNG 18. The program featured the largest number and highest level of LNG industry leaders as plenary speakers ever seen.

LNG 18, attended by the Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon. Malcolm Turnbull MP, began with an evening welcome reception at the new State Reception Centre, Fraser’s at Kings Park. Perched on a hill, the floor to ceiling glass windows in the semi-circular room offered a view out through the eucalyptus trees, across the Swan River, and to the skyline of the city — a uniquely Australian vista for delegates who’d come from across the globe.

The welcome reception opened with a traditional ‘Welcome to Country’ and smoking ceremony performed by Nyungar man, Associate Professor Simon Forrest.

Malcolm Turnbull took the stage next, with a positive message about the dramatic change currently being experienced by the LNG sector, “One of the greatest examples of innovation, resilience and expansion, is LNG,” he said.

It was a powerful start, with the presence of the Prime Minister, the Premier of Western Australia, the Federal Resources Minister, and industry leaders from across the globe, confirming the importance and status of LNG 18.

During the evening, delegates were able to move through three separate areas and experience an array of entertainment including whip-cracking on the front lawn, photo opportunities with a koala or baby kangaroo, and observing Aboriginal artists from a remote community as they worked. Performers moved through the crowd on stilts, and numerous food stations served classic Australian cuisine with a twist: from prawns on skewers, to mini pies with a pea topping.