Every year, ADIPEC gathers industry leaders and decision-makers to network, make connections and share their ideas, concerns and successes with peers in the oil and gas sector. As the oil and gas landscape has morphed over the years, ADIPEC has shifted to keep up with the key concerns and interests of industry stakeholders.
Pre-2014, the conference and exhibition emphasised exploration and production, but low oil prices marked a shift towards innovation and improved efficiency to cut costs. Last year, as the industry adapted to the ‘new normal,’ ADIPEC looked at strategic investment across the industry’s value chain.
As oil prices rise and the industry outlook looks brighter than it has in a few years, ADIPEC has shifted its focus. With Brent crude sitting at $76 per barrel (at the time of writing), up $15 per barrel since last year’s conference, ADIPEC 2018 looks towards a bright future for the industry.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which hosts ADIPEC, sees a hopeful future as well. Through its Strategy 2030, it aims to make its upstream operations more profitable and downstream more valuable. A summary, as written on the company’s website, notes that the strategy “is enabled by a focus on partnerships, technology and human capital.”
That is also a fair summary of ADIPEC—it is the time and place for oil and gas professionals to make partnerships, see and learn about the latest technology and emphasises human talent in the industry, with panels and discussions featuring prominent figures from the public and private sectors.
The strategic conference programme puts a spotlight on digitalisation, market stability and building sustainable growth in the industry. It will include three ministerial sessions with ministers from across the globe discussing the world’s energy landscape, from rethinking global energy initiatives to reshaping its markets and collaborating for a sustainable energy industry worldwide.
10 global business leader sessions will see decision-makers share their insights on the energy market, and four downstream global business leader sessions will look at strategic decisions downstream. Meanwhile, 11 C-suite dialogues will provide panel discussions with executives on key industry issues.
Meanwhile, the technical programme has more than 100 sessions exploring new technology, unconventional resources, fracturing, well completion and EOR, among other topics. A new programme this year, the downstream technical conference offers nine sessions looking at technology, efficiency and project management in downstream operations.
Confirmed speakers for ADIPEC 2018 include Mohammed Barkindo, secretary-general of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and UAE Minister of Energy and Industry Suhail Mohamed Mazrouei, as well as ministers from Egypt, Oman, Bahrain and Jordan. They will be joined by industry experts and executives from major NOCs, IOCs and oilfield services companies.
The conference sessions and panel discussions will run alongside the exhibition, which includes dedicated sections for heavy machinery, offshore and marine, and a new addition, the innovation hub. In the latter, exhibitors and attendees visiting ADIPEC 2018 should prepare for a deep dive into digitalisation efforts by small and medium enterprises in the industry.
Adjacent is the Digitalisation in Energy Zone, where industry titans of technology and startups alike will showcase the latest technology being used to transform the oil and gas industry, from artificial intelligence to blockchain and big data.
Expect digital technology and automation to be key topics in this edition of ADIPEC, as the industry continues to strive for more efficiency and productivity in a shifting landscape.
