GCC exhibitors play major role at Gastech

This year's Gastech, being held 25-28 May at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition, Centre features the largest-ever Gastech exhibition taking up over 13,000 sqm net space and featuring 400 exhibitors from 32 countries.

"We are delighted that HE Mohamed bin Dha'en Al Hamli, UAE Minister of Energy, has agreed to deliver a Ministerial address. His presence demonstrates the importance of Gastech in the region, and his insights will prove invaluable to our delegates"

said Tony Stephenson, event director for Gastech.

The number of exhibitors attending from the GCC has nearly doubled since the show was last held in Abu Dhabi, in 2006. There are 74 exhibitors from the region, with the highest number (57) coming from the UAE. This is a tangible demonstration of the region's deep commitment to the gas industry, and confirms that the time was right for Gastech to return so quickly to Abu Dhabi after a highly successful event in Bangkok in March 2008.

Gastech 2009, held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and hosted by ADNOC & its Group of Companies has attracted thousands of registrations from 78 countries. The number of registrants as exhibition visitors has broken all previous records anywhere in the world. The delegate and visitor list is truly international - ranging from Algeria to Yemen, USA to Mauritania, and Angola to Korea.

Gastech 2009 has a very strong conference programme, addressing key issues for the industry. With the theme 'Gas: A time of change - a time for challenges, solutions and alternatives' , it will allow delegates to keep abreast of industry developments, obtain technical knowledge and understand the issues affecting today's global gas industry - particularly against the backdrop of the current economic situation.

"No Gastech would be complete without an exceptional range of additional features," added Tony Stephenson. "This year is certainly no exception. They include the new Digital Energy Zone showcasing the latest in digital solutions and services; the LNG Gallery providing a complete timeline of the history of LNG; GasTV Live - making the event highlights truly unmissable; Poster Sessions where specialty papers presented free-of-charge; and the Business Presentation Lounge providing 20-minute talks from key exhibitors.

"Our 'Fuelling the Future' initiative sees 25 young people from 13 countries set to graduate shortly from 16 universities, find out first hand more about the industry they hope to join thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and a fascinating tailor-made programme. And our social events held in the evenings offer incomparable opportunities for highly enjoyable networking."