Major energy industry gathering hailed as success

Against the backdrop of the latest OPEC meeting, a packed agenda of technical sessions and panels dedicated to global industry issues unfolded. Delegates discussed a wide range of technical solutions designed to maximise sustainable energy production, while joining world experts for a discussion of the future of the industry.

The IPTC also extended its special recognition award to H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Mark Rubin, IPTC Executive Manager and Executive Director of the Society of Petroleum Engineers - one of four co-sponsors whose combined efforts ensured the delivery of the conference - declared IPTC 2007 an overwhelming success.

'Not only was this the largest edition of IPTC to date, with over 3,000 participants from across the globe, but the sheer breadth of excellent presentations and debates reveal an industry driven by remarkable innovation and social engagement,'

said Rubin.

Major players in the oil industry combined sponsorship with exhibiting at the event, and reported exciting results.

'IPTC 2007, not least through its student-centred Education Week, was a chance to reach out and inspire a future generation of employees. Our company is immensely proud to have contributed,' said Franklin Boitier, Technical Communications Manager, Total.

Education Week's inventive approach to recruitment and training, in which final year undergraduates worked together on managing new projects, was also apparent in five 'Excellence in Project Integration' Awards announced at special gala dinner.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Total E&P, Brunei Shell Petroleum, Saudi Aramco and BP were all named as winners in the award ceremony.

Participants in the conference came from across the globe, with Austrian and Indonesian companies exhibiting for the first time. The positive response of exhibitors was summarised by James G McCallum, CEO of Senergy Limited on a visit to the Gulf region, who thanked IPTC 2007 for providing his diversified energy consultancy with a 'marvellous opportunity' to meet with the wider industry. 'It paves the way for the opening of our Abu Dhabi premises later this month,' he added.

Praise for the conference was echoed by David Goulding, Business Development Director of risk assessment consultants Britam: 'From an exhibitor perspective, the beauty of this conference is that it has generated a number of solid and exciting business leads.'

The four sponsoring organisations - the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, the Society of Exploration Geophysicists and the SPE - now turn their attention to next year's conference, scheduled to take place fron 3-5 December 2008 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

IPTC 2007: A Changing World - Interdependence, Innovation and Implementation, the world's foremost energy industry technical conference, was hosted by Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.