SATELLITE 2011, the premier annual event dedicated to providing solutions to the satellite end-user community, is returning to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., to celebrate its 30th Anniversary. The SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition will be held March 14-17, 2011.

The SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition will bring together more than 9,500 satellite professionals from the military/government, broadcast, enterprise, mobile, telecommunications and commercial markets to learn best practices, discover new technology and collaborate with colleagues.

The SATELLITE 2011 Conference will kick off with an opening general session, The Big Four: The Next 30 Years, on Tuesday, March 15th, and will feature the annual gathering of the four CEOs from Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES and Telesat. “The opening general session gives attendees at SATELLITE 2011 access to top executives who are driving the future of the satellite community,” said Conference Chairman Scott Chase. “It’s not everyday these CEOs meet in one room to discuss the future of their companies and what they see as the growth drivers for our marketplace.” The conference will also examine expanding opportunities in the global satellite community – session topics include Cloud Computing, MPEG 4 vs. MPEG 2, emerging regions of growth including Eastern Europe and Asia, Hosted Payloads and UAVs.

Paired with the Conference, the SATELLITE Exhibition provides today’s satellite communications professionals with information on existing and emerging technologies shaping the market’s future. The Exhibition is open March 15-17 and features more than 300 exhibiting companies showcasing a variety of satellite communications applications, services and solutions. For the second year, SATELLITE will feature outdoor exhibits where companies will conduct live product and service demos of truck and trailer-mounted satellite systems, large antennas, mobile command centers and other satellite equipment. “We are extremely excited that we can continue our successful launch of outdoor exhibits as we return to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center,” said Show Director Jenn Heinold. “The outdoor exhibits provide the perfect venue for attendees to see live demonstrations of satellite products and applications.”

SATELLITE 2011 also provides valuable networking opportunities by bringing together military officials, C-level executives, broadcasters, engineers and other power players in global satellite-enabled communications marketplace. Planned networking events include the SATELLITE 30th Anniversary Party, WTA Teleport Awards Luncheon, the MSUA Pioneer and Innovator Awards Presentation and Luncheon, the Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) Gala, Washington Space Business Roundtable Flagship Lunch and Silent Auction, the Satellite Executive of the Year Award Presentation Luncheon and Via Satellite’s Satellite Executive of the Year Reception.

SATELLITE 2011 will be held March 14-17 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center located at 801 Mt Vernon Pl NW, Washington, D.C. 20001. For more information or to register, visit www.SATELLITE2011.com.