THE 17th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference (Adipec) 2014, which will be held from November 10 to 13 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec) in Abu Dhabi, UAE, is poised to break all its previous records because of growing worldwide interest, according to figures revealed by top-level industry professionals.

Spanning 100,000 sq m of gross floor space at the Adnec, Adipec 2014 will feature over 1,800 exhibitors and attract more than 60,000 attendees and 6,500 delegates in its largest show to date. These will include global energy leaders, policy makers, innovators, technicians and scholars – who will drill into the show’s theme “Challenges and Opportunities for the Next 30 Years”.

The landmark show, which is held under the patronage of the President of the UAE, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, will also witness another milestone as the event celebrates its 30th anniversary, this year.

Ali Khalifa Al Shamsi, Adipec 2014 conference chairman, and strategy and coordination director, Adnoc says: “Adipec will continue to grow year after year, and the event’s remarkable achievements are testimony to the unwavering dedication and commitment of all participating stakeholders.”

“I am confident that the success of Adipec will speak for itself as we count down the days to the event and work tirelessly towards its development.” According to figures presented by Fareed Abdulla, the Adipec 2014 programme chairman, and senior vice president, North East Bab (NEB) Asset at the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (Adco), the Adipec technical conference this year received 1,806 abstracts, a 61 per cent increase from last year.

From the 1,806 submitted abstracts, 486 were selected. Approximately 50 per cent of the abstracts received came from the Middle East, with the remainder coming from across the globe.

“In addition to the 84 technical sessions, which will be presented by 480 speakers from 37 countries, we will have four dedicated academic sessions for the first time in the history of Adipec,” Abdulla says.

LARGEST GATHERING OUTSIDE NORTH AMERICA
Since its inception in 1984, Adipec has made remarkable progress in the past thirty years, evolving from a tiny regional event to the third largest gathering in the international oil and gas sector. Adipec today is the third largest gathering of oil and gas industry professionals outside North America.

Al Shamsi says that the milestone 30th anniversary builds upon the previous success; and that this event is a launch-pad for new frontiers in all aspects, adding that Adipec has accompanied the successful march of Abu Dhabi from a small exhibition in an emerging energy producer, to one of the world’s top three energy exhibitions.

“We are bringing new challenging areas of interest and taking innovative approaches so that Adipec 2014 is truly pivotal, targeting the most relevant segments of the value chain with activities that will make it worth their visit and participation,” Al Shamsi says.

Christopher Hudson, senior vice president at dmg events, the organiser of Adipec 2014, says: “Adipec has officially grown to become the world’s largest meeting point outside North America for the oil and gas industry, and the exhibition has developed into a global hub for doing business.”

Adipec ... doubling in size

RECORD INCREASE
Since 2008, the world-class venue, Adnec, has seen Adipec double in size very quickly – and it’s still growing. Widely recognised as the third largest energy event in the world, and the oil and gas industry’s new global meeting point, Adipec fills all 12 Adnec exhibition halls and two purpose-built external structures, equivalent to two additional halls, underlining the continuing growth of the event.

Adipec 2014 organisers, dmg events, expect an increase over the Adipec 2013 record of more than 51,000 visitors, along with 1,362 exhibitors from 108 countries, including 16 country pavilions. In response, Adipec 2014 will expand from 35,000 sq m in 2013 to 40,000 sq m of exhibition space at the Adnec.

This massive growth reflects the growing desire of international companies who are increasingly keen to engage with the region’s producers. Adipec 2014 will see thousands of buyers gather from more than 60 countries across the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the CIS, Indian sub-continent and south east Asia all keen to explore new business opportunities and contracts, to discover what’s happening in the global industry, and to use Adipec to generate new business that will eclipse the $5 billion worth of business conducted onsite across the four days of the event in 2013.

Hudson adds: “To celebrate Adipec’s 30th anniversary, Adipec 2014 will be the largest and most engaging edition of Adipec yet. We’re building on the success of the Adipec 2013 conference – which saw the debut of Young Adipec and Women in Industry to connect the industry with tomorrow’s leaders – and we’re providing more interactive features and activities.”

LARGEST CONFERENCE PROGRAMME
The show will also feature the largest conference programme in the region, where 600 speakers from 37 countries will participate in 88 technical sessions, including breakfasts and luncheons that will tackle the most current issues facing the oil and gas industry.

The Adipec 2014 technical conference will be a key driver in addressing the show’s theme “Challenges and Opportunities for the Next 30 Years”. Organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the Adipec 2014 technical conference will continue the momentum of the 2013 edition, which witnessed the participation of 300 leading speakers from 34 countries.

Billed as the premier speaking platform in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena), the technical conference this year will feature new insights on nine key industry topics: Exploration and production geoscience, unconventional resources, field development, drilling and completion technology, projects engineering and management, operational excellence, HSE, gas technology, and people and talents.

 “We have technical topics that will attract a lot of interest, such as energy and petroleum geoscience, unconventional, and drilling and completion technology,” says Abdulla.

“As well as continuing to raise the profile of niche subjects, we also cover broader areas such as operational excellence, HSE and people and talent, bringing a fully-rounded conference experience to the market,” he adds.

A Ministerial panel session will lead the Adipec 2014 conference, where decision-makers will discuss the important role of attracting and developing talent in securing the future of the energy sector.

The conference programme also includes two executive plenary sessions and eight executive panel sessions that will look at challenges and opportunities facing the energy sector over the next three decades, from securing energy resources to developments in research and technology.

“The level and depth of our conference programme, including our world-renowned keynote speaker and physicist, Dr Michio Kaku, the Ministerial panel session, the executive panels and plenary sessions, the VIP programme, and the topical breakfast and lunch sessions, have amplified this success further by bringing the world’s brightest minds under one roof,” says Hudson.

CONNECTING THROUGH MEPC
The prestigious Middle East Petroleum Club (MEPC), which is composed of top-level representatives from the industry, will offer its members new and exclusive content, including a Mexico, Indonesia, and UAE downstream industry briefing, a discussion on pumps and pipes industry collaboration, and a Women in Industry panel discussion. The high-profile events will take place at the show’s first-ever theatre, which is specially designed to accommodate the club’s VIP members.

Connecting the industry’s top managers with peers, friends, and colleagues, the Middle East Petroleum Club (MEPC) strengthens networks that exist between oil and gas executives across the region, and forge new connections, in a private setting. Meanwhile, the HSE Zone returns for a second year, bringing together the health, safety and environment sector of the oil and gas industry, featuring exhibitors, open conference sessions, and supported by an array of sponsors.

ENGAGING YOUNGSTERS
Attracting and developing talent is also a key objective of Adipec 2014, with a series of activities designed to engage and encourage youngsters to follow a career path in engineering. The Young Adipec programme will enable students to gain hands-on experience by visiting oil field sites and participating in industry-related competitions.

A dedicated Edutainment Zone at the show will showcase students’ work and offer them an opportunity to explore academic programmes in energy.

Young Adipec generates interest and excitement for the next generation of oil and gas industry employees, with school children and university students taking part in field trips, projects, and experiencing a day-in-the-life of professionals in the industry at the Young Adipec zone. Women in Industry will feature panel sessions from leading women in the energy field, encouraging women to enter a variety of energy-related careers.

RECOGNISING TALENT
The 2014 Adipec Awards will recognise best practices across the energy field, for which the entries were open from May 1, 2014 to August 1, 2014.

The event will also include an expanded Adipec Awards featuring two new categories – the ‘Empowerment of Women in Gas and Oil’ and ‘Young Adipec Engineer’, both of which are integral to the future of the industry. Organisers expect the Adipec Awards 2014 to surpass the 2013 Adipec Awards, which received 290 entries from 22 countries and 79 organisations.

Winners of the acclaimed Adipec 2014 Awards, which received a record number of entries from 28 countries this year, will be announced on the first evening of the event, showcasing the leading projects in the region in categories ranging from corporate social responsibility to innovation and technology, and setting benchmarks for best practice in the industry.

“If I had to describe Adipec in a single word, it would be excellence. A great event like this can only be achieved with a great team, and a great team can only work with a great leader,” says Jose Pereira, Middle East representative at Partex Oil & Gas in the UAE, and a member of the Regional Select Jury, a panel of 26 judges that will evaluate the Adipec Awards submissions.

“The Adipec Awards have truly raised the bar for oil and gas professionals around the world.

Companies who choose to participate in the awards not only recognise the accomplishments of its own people, but also raise the profile of Adipec,” Pereira adds.