Conference speakers prove main draw for October’s upstream event in Dubai
OGS 2009 will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Dubai from 27-29 October this year. The focus of the show this year will move away from the more traditional topics of oil and gas and instead focus on energy conservation.
Hannah Wilson, conference director at IC&E, the organisers of the event, reports: “Basically it is talking about the future energy strategy for the region, the benefits of alternative energy, and more importantly how they can partner with fossil fuels to satisfy future demand.”
“The show will also be looking at ways to minimise the carbon and water footprint in the UAE. The UAE has the third highest per capita carbon footprint in the world behind Kuwait and Bahrain.”
The oil and gas segment of the show will this year expand and alter its format as a response to the market’s needs. An upstream networking forum will be present at the event, allowing opportunities to strengthen business ties.
“In terms of oil and gas there will be presentations on how to minimise carbon footprint in the oil and gas industry, with examples such as carbon capture. Also looking at how oil and gas producers can move into alternative energy projects because this is the future,” reveals Wilson. “Some of the oil and gas companies already have alternative energy projects such as Shell, BP, also ConocoPhillips set up the global water sustainability centre in Qatar so they are already moving into this green area.”
OGS began in 1984 and since then has attracted 4,200 companies.
It is supported by the UAE Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. Confirmed exhibitors include Sewon Metal, National Pipe Co and Yueng Shing Industrial.
Speaking on the expected attendance of the conference, Wilson states: “This is a conference led exhibition so in terms of attendance it will be mainly from conference delegates from which we have had a very favourable response so far.”
The OGS show will also feature an Excellence in Engineering Forum running alongside the main show. This will be aimed at young engineers looking to break into sectors such as oil and gas.
“We aren’t actually having a career expo but we are having an Excellence in Engineering Forum. Basically it is a free to attend forum for recent or about to graduate engineering students from the UAE. It’s giving them an educational forum to understand what it’s like to be an engineer and what challenges they will face,” explains Wilson.
“There will be key speakers from the leading oil and gas companies and engineering companies speaking at the forum. It’s basically about what they can achieve and the different career paths and training initiatives that are in place for young engineering graduates.”
Among the confirmed speakers is Paul Wood, production engineering manager at Shell EP and Khalid Al Awadi, gas operations manager at Emarat.
“The Excellence in Engineering Forum will essentially bridge the gap between education and the industry, ensuring that young engineers are aware of opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Furthermore, the Forum will help OGS 2009 realise its core objective of reaching out to engineers,” says Anselm Godinho, managing director, IC&E.
“These knowledge workers are an integral part of regional development, and we want to offer them a forum to network and interact with students, while catering to the professional, technical and knowledge requirements of the entire energy value chain.”
Key Facts:
Where: Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre
When: 27-20 October 2009
Why: Key speakers addressing the future of the energy industry in the region
Organiser: IC&E
Don’t miss: The Excellence in Engineering Forum, providing advice for young engineers.
