The 10th Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC 2002), has received overwhelming response from exhibitors, according to the organisers.

The event is being held in Abu Dhabi from October 13-16.

This event, a showcase of the oil & gas Industry, is one of the oldest of its kind in the Gulf region, which accounts for two-thirds of oil and gas reserves in the world.

Since its inception in 1984 as a local exhibition, ADIPEC has grown to become one of the largest and most informative oil and gas events in the world.

The 10th ADIPEC is much bigger than the previous edition, and is being housed in three halls.

The 10th edition is seeing for the first time pavilions from the United States, Denmark, Russia, Italy and France, where in the past local agents of companies represented these countries.

Regular official pavilions from the UK, Germany, Canada, Norway among others are expected to be larger than the previous edition.

Over 120 multinational companies are participating in the conference and exhibition and have also reserved bigger space this time to accommodate more multi-discipline activities, the organisers said.

The large energy producers in the region are once again having a visible presence at the show, and many multinationals that have always been regular participants will be exhibiting again this year, although on a larger scale.

Local oil and gas trading, services and engineering giants have also booked larger stands this year to accommodate more principal companies with multi-discipline activities.

Another special feature this year is an IT Village within the exhibition, showcasing solutions for the oil and gas industry.

Previous ADIPEC events have shown that panel discussions contribute substantially to the dissemination of knowledge and experience sharing among the audience.

The panel topics have therefore been selected to focus on the current critical challenges facing the oil and gas industry.

The Technical Programme Committee of the 10th ADIPEC held its second meeting in January this year. The committee selected the topics and speakers for the conference.

The committee has decided on four panels and 14 sessions for the conference programme.

Experts who are also world renowned panelists will be invited, to lead the discussions and exchange views on solutions to technical problems.

The organisers are working hard to increase awareness and promote attendance of ADIPEC 2002.

As part of the promotion campaign, the organisers, General Exhibition Corporation (GEC), will be exhibiting at various events.

It is to be noted that SPE International's participation and support in ADIPEC was re-established, thanks to the effort of the organising committee and the support of the SPE Middle East Region representative Ali Al-Jarwan and the 2001 SPE-Abu Dhabi Section chairman Abdulla Hamoodi.

In addition, the 10th ADIPEC is technically supported by the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAEG), Society of Core Analysts (SCA) and Society of professional Well Log Analysts (SPWLA)

ADIPEC 2002 is being promoted throughout the world in international trade publications, and regional and local press.

A dedicated website has been created and an update on ADIPEC (ADIPEC News) has been launched.

Murshid Al Romaithi, assistant general manager, Adco, and the conference chairman emphasised that the goal is to make ADIPEC a landmark of Abu Dhabi's oil and gas industry and expose it efficiently to the international market.