An unprecedented number of opportunities for strategic dialogue between all levels of industry players, from ministers to global business leaders – as well as a record number of expert submissions on a wide range of industry challenges and trends – will see the world’s energy leaders converge on the UAE capital for the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) 2017.
The event is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; hosted by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC); and supported by the UAE Ministry of Energy, the Abu Dhabi Chamber, and the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority. It will take place from 13 to 16 November at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC).
The premier meeting place for energy ministers and C-level executives from the world’s oil and gas giants, ADIPEC 2017, will convene under the theme ‘Forging Ties, Driving Growth’. The event’s growing synonymy with the global oil and gas industry is evidenced by the increase in the number of ministerial and C-suite sessions and forums taking place this year – more than 45, compared to 25 in 2016.
“Abu Dhabi has always served as an international gathering place for the energy world’s best and brightest. But, this year, ADIPEC is shifting gears to facilitate additional ministerial and C-level executive networking. We believe that this annual event is where global energy strategies are proposed and agreed upon each year,” Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi, the CEO of Al Yasat Petroleum and ADIPEC chairman, stated.
The ADIPEC Conference Programme, which is organised in collaboration with the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), sets the international standard for the exchange of best-practice and operational excellence in the world of energy, with all technical abstract submissions put through a rigorous evaluation process by the Technical Programme Committee. There have been more than 3,000 technical abstract submissions this year, with more than half submitted from outside the UAE.
Christopher Hudson, president – global energy at dmg events, the company responsible for organising ADIPEC, said: “Driving growth in a volatile industrial sector can be challenging at the best of times. ADIPEC 2017, the world’s most influential oil and gas exhibition and conference, is evolving to bring more event attendees fully into the realm of industry decision-making, from passive to active participation, and our new global downstream business leader sessions are testament to this progressive new approach to inclusion.”
ADIPEC 2017 will include conference sessions on Offshore and Marine, and Security. New this year will be the introduction of global downstream technical sessions, which the organiser claimed will drive the conversation on downstream expansion, diversification, technology innovation, and research and development (R&D). Key regular features of the event are the ADIPEC Awards, which celebrate excellence in energy; the Women in Industry Conference, which addresses gender balance in the energy sector; Young ADIPEC, a dedicated ‘edutainment’ programme designed to encourage students to choose a career in energy; and a VIP conference programme for members of the Middle East Petroleum Club.
More than 10,000 delegates, 2,200 exhibiting companies, 900 speakers, and 100,000 visitors from 135 countries are projected to gather in the UAE capital for ADIPEC 2017, breaking the event’s previous record for international participation, and bringing global decision-makers, industry leaders, and experts under one roof to address the most critical issues surrounding the evolving energy landscape.
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Creating increased engagement among business leaders
In its 20th edition, ADIPEC is firmly established as the world’s most influential oil and gas industry event, and the ADIPEC Conference Programme sets the standard for the exchange of best practices and operational excellence. Delegates at this year’s ADIPEC will have more opportunities than ever to hear some of the oil and gas industry’s most powerful executives speak in open-invite conference sessions, as the event’s organiser has confirmed that it will increase the number of Global Business Leader panels for this year.
ADIPEC has a successful history of attracting the industry’s top chief executive officers as speakers. The separate Global Business Leader panels were launched in 2015 with two sessions. A positive response saw a third session added in 2016, and the organiser will include a fourth panel discussion for 2017.
As ADIPEC will expand to include downstream industries for the first time this year, an additional programme will include three Downstream Global Business Leader panels.
“ADIPEC is unique for its ability to attract such a broad group of industry seniors to an annual event, driven by the market power of the region’s NOCs and their IOC partners,” Al Shamsi commented. “Nowhere else will industry professionals get such an insight into the strategic thinking guiding the industry forward, from individuals whose decisions are critical to the future of oil and gas businesses.”
As the planning for ADIPEC entered its final weeks, its organiser confirmed the involvement of 13 CEOs for the Global Business Leader panels and was in talks with many more across the global industry. A further nine CEOs have been confirmed for the Downstream Global Business Leader programme. Beyond the conference programme, CEOs convene at ADIPEC to do business and sign deals, offering conference delegates an opportunity not only to learn from the best, but also to grow their businesses and discover new opportunities.
The confirmed CEO speakers include Bob Dudley, group chief executive at UK-headquartered multinational, BP; Datuk Zulkiflee W Ariffin, president and group CEO of Malaysian national oil company, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas); Patrick Pouyanné, chairman and CEO of France’s Total; Vagit Alekperov, president, member of the board of directors, and chairman of the management committee at Russia’s Lukoil; Musabbeh Al Kaabi, CEO of petroleum and petrochemicals, Mubadala Investment Company; Mario Mehren, chairman of the board of executive directors, Wintershall; Toshiaki Kitamura, president and CEO at Japan’s INPEX Corporation; and Claudio Descalzi, CEO at Italian multinational, Eni.
The individual perspectives of these industry experts include experience at some of the world’s largest vertically integrated oil and gas companies, including two of the industry’s ‘super-majors’, operating across a diverse range of international markets, both in terms of exploration and production, and in terms of sales.
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These speakers will be joined by the heads of three of the biggest international oilfield services providers: David Dickson, president and chief executive officer at McDermott International; Mark McCollum, CEO at Weatherford; and Lorenzo Simonelli, president and CEO at Baker Hughes, a GE company. Offering a regional perspective on oil and gas investment will be Mansour Al Mulla, chief financial officer – petroleum and petrochemicals, Mubadala Investment Company, while Brian Gilvary, group chief financial officer at BP, will offer an international view.
“ADIPEC is the leading event for the global oil and gas industry, and that is reflected in the status of speakers we consistently attract for our conference programme,” Hudson said.
“The executives who have agreed to be part of our Global Business Leader panels are among those whose decisions shape the future of the industry, and who are most qualified to discuss the path forward for oil and gas in the coming years.”
With ADIPEC 2017 to be held under the theme of ‘Forging Ties, Driving Growth’, the four Global Business Leader panels will focus on strategies that can deliver continuing business success, with discussion of the most pressing topics facing the sector today. There will also be a highly focused session on energy finance, investment, consolidation, and diversification.
“The oil and gas industry continues to be a key driver for the global economy, but the market is changing, and industry leaders must respond,” said Hudson. “ADIPEC is a platform where businesses can share ideas that will help them evolve with the commercial environment. With our invited CEO speakers for 2017, we are placing greater emphasis on leaders with a truly global footprint. Their decisions will define the future for oil and gas, pioneering new ideas and breaking boundaries, fostering relationships, and building on momentum.”
ADIPEC 2017’s technical conferences: a highlight of the event
ADIPEC’s organiser has confirmed the event’s technical conference, already the world’s largest for oil and gas professionals, will see a significant increase in scope for 2017, to include the downstream industry for the first time, as well as including more sessions dedicated to specialised areas of the sector, such as offshore and marine exploration and production.
With approximately 900 speakers scheduled to participate in more than 200 sessions, the conference will bring together the industry’s most respected experts, global leaders, and top decision-makers, with around 10,000 delegates expected to attend during the course of the event’s four days.
The expanded technical programme will encompass all layers of the industry, including upstream and midstream sessions organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), while dmg events’ global energy division will oversee a new programme of downstream sessions. The organiser said that the change reflects the accelerating search for efficiency and integration in a challenging market.
“The key to growth for oil and gas companies will be to find new ideas, and to share information in the pursuit of best practice,” said Ali Al Rawahi, reservoir manager – studies (BUH/SE Asset), at the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations (ADCO), and ADIPEC 2017 Technical Conference chairman. He continued: “ADIPEC is clearly established as the leading platform for knowledge exchange in oil and gas. What the conference offers has never been more important than it is today. Resource owners are getting better prices for their product, but nobody can rely on further rises to ensure their business.
“The focus will continue to be on improving efficiency and reducing cost, which can only be achieved through sharing experience between companies and across borders.”
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The expansion to include the downstream sector reflects one of the emerging industry trends in oil and gas, as upstream and midstream companies are increasingly looking towards integration, collaboration, and diversification across refining and petrochemicals, processing, and end-product sales, in order to boost overall profitability.
The ADIPEC Technical Conference programme received 3,060 abstract submissions for presentations for this year’s event, a 10% increase from last year, setting a new record for the number of submitted abstracts in the oil and gas industry for the second consecutive year. Technical abstracts came from 622 organisations located in 70 countries. Underlining ADIPEC’s expanding international reach, 59% of submissions were from outside the Middle East. The ADIPEC 2017 technical committee, comprised 164 industry experts, selected 809 high-quality abstracts.
Conference sessions include exploration and production geoscience; production facilities technologies; field development; operational excellence; drilling and completion technology; health, safety, and environment; projects engineering and management; gas technology; unconventional resources; improved and enhanced oil recovery; people and talent; and petroleum advanced analytics.
The 2017 ADIPEC conference programme will feature two ministerial sessions, four global business leader sessions, and four downstream global business leader sessions, eight panel sessions, three offshore plenary panels, nine C-suite dialogue sessions, three industry breakfasts, and three topical luncheons.
A full-day Women in Energy programme will focus specifically on the opportunities for – and achievements of – women working in the oil and gas industry. The co-located Security in Energy conference returns for a second year, recognising the increasingly critical importance of cyber and infrastructure security within oil and gas operations.
“At ADIPEC, we create one meeting place, in one city, for one global industry, and the conference programme represents that approach,” Hudson said. “It is a complete platform for a complex global industry, where we create value for every layer of the most vertically integrated oil and gas business. With CEO-level support from the industry’s most influential corporations, ADIPEC is essential for sharing knowledge, driving innovation, and generating business.”
