It’s a sign o’ the popular Marcellus shale-gas times!

More than 800 individuals pre-registered for Hart Energy Publishing’s inaugural Developing Unconventional Gas (DUG) East conference—and hotel capacity was, well, approx. 800.

The event—this Oct. 19 in Pittsburgh—sold out in just a few weeks of open registration. And, it’s been moved now to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, adjacent to the original event site, the downtown Westin.

With expanded capacity roughly 200 stand-by registrants who were wait-listed now have a seat, and more registrations are under way, plus openings of exhibition space.

“DUG East is bucking the trend of nearly every B2B conference in the U.S.,” says Rich Eichler, Hart president and chief executive. “I cannot think of a stronger endorsement of Hart’s position as the leader in unconventional resource and specifically Marcellus shale content, than to have to relocate this event, due to popular demand, in the current economic environment.”

Speakers will include:

-- Aubrey McClendon, chairman and CEO, Chesapeake Energy Corp.,

-- Jeff Ventura, president and COO, Range Resources Corp.,

-- Murry Gerber, chairman and CEO, EQT Corp.,

-- Mike Walen, senior vice president and COO, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp.,

-- Ben Hulbert, CEO, Rex Energy Corp.,

-- Randall Albert, senior vice president, emerging business unit, CNX Gas Corp. and

-- Frank Semple, CEO, MarkWest Energy.

Topics include improving well results, reducing drilling costs, taking gas to market, geology, resource potential and technology. For more details, click to DUG East.

–Nissa Darbonne (ndarbonne@hartenergy.com), E-Editor, Oil and Gas Investor, A&D Watch, Oil and Gas Investor This Week, OilandGasInvestor.com Today, OilandGasInvestor.com, A-Dcenter.com, UGcenter.com.