18th Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference kicks off 10th of March 2013

Over 7,000 oil and gas professionals will converge at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre to debate and shape the future of the oil and gas industry in the region over the course of the conference and parallel exhibition.

"MEOS is one of the most established oil and gas shows in the Middle East with a 34 year track record of success. Over the years it has firmly established itself in the international oil and gas event calendar. With each new edition, we strive to build on this solid reputation and industry esteem by offering a conference programme that is highly topical and a parallel exhibition which showcases the very latest solutions, products and services. Together, the conference and exhibition combine to form a comprehensive current overview of the oil and gas industry in the Middle East, offering real solutions to those operating in the sector whilst facilitating new business opportunities," said Abdulaziz Al Abdulkarim, MEOS 2013 Conference Chairman, Saudi Aramco.

This year's conference agenda includes 36 technical sessions with more than 200 technical and poster presentations on topics covering exploration and appraisal; drilling and completions; reservoir engineering; production and facilities; and health, safety, security and environment.

A key highlight of the conference programme, the executive plenary session on 10 March, will involve leading industry figures discussing the conference theme "Transforming the Energy Future".

The session will open with welcome addresses from H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and Minister in Charge of Oil & Gas Affairs, Bahrain; Abdulaziz Al Abdulkarim, MEOS 2013 Conference Chairman, Saudi Aramco and Egbert Imomoh, 2013 SPE President. Keynote speeches will follow from Amin Nasser, Senior Vice President, Upstream, Saudi Aramco; Martin Craighead, President and CEO, Baker Hughes; Paal Kibsgaard, CEO, Schlumberger; Sami F. Al-Rushaid, Chairman and Managing Director, Kuwait Oil Company and Sara Ortwein, President, ExxonMobil Upstream Research.

MEOS will also offer five high level panel sessions discussing important matters relevant to today's industry. Discussion topics include the gas challenge; talent development and knowledge sharing; technologies required to unlock unconventional resources; greener petroleum; and developing local content.

"The MEOS conference focuses on current issues facing industry players. The era of easy oil is over, and companies across the world are tapping the development of complex fields. The event will highlight the latest technology used to develop these resources, and how to better manage the resources, as well as the latest finding related to the enhanced oil recovery (EOR), reservoir management and drilling techniques," Abdulaziz Al Abdulkarim continued.

H.E. Abdullatif A. Al-Othman, Governor and Chairman of the Board of Directors, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA) will present another important session entitled "Financing the Change". This special breakfast session will address how the oil and gas industry can manage and finance itself in light of forecasts that approximate 15 trillion dollars will be spent in the next 10 years to meet expected future oil and gas demand.

A 3-day exhibition of oil and gas products and services will run parallel to the conference from 11-13 March. Spanning 14,800 square metres, it features over 300 exhibitors from 30 countries and covers all areas of the upstream industry; including exploration and production, on-shore and offshore technology, transportation, geophysics, drilling and completion, measurement systems, automation and information technology, security and environmental protection.

Principal exhibitors include all six GCC national oil and gas companies - Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Bapco, Kuwait Oil Company, Petroleum Development Oman, Qatar Petroleum, and Saudi Aramco - who will be exhibiting alongside supermajors including Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell. International oil and gas exploration and production companies such as Occidental Petroleum Corporation; service industry giants Baker Hughes, Halliburton, Schlumberger and Weatherford; large national groups from North America and the UK; and numerous independent specialist suppliers and distributors from across the globe complete this line up.

"With a strong technical programme and comprehensive exhibition, companies and delegates alike can utilise MEOS 2013 to learn, forge business relationships, share expertise, and create new technologies in one of the most prolific hydrocarbon regions in the world," said Arabian Exhibition Management's Director of Sales and Marketing Fawzi Al Shehabi.