THE Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre is set to play host to an unprecedented exchange of professional insights and technological innovations aimed at maximising the recovery and discovery of oil and gas during the 17th Society of Petroleum Engineers Middle East Oil & Gas Show and Conference (MEOS 2011).

Held under the patronage of His Royal Highness the Prime Minister of Bahrain Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the 14,800 sq m exhibition of oil and gas products and services at this landmark event 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 Petroleum Corporation, Petroleum Development Oman, Qatar Petroleum and Saudi Aramco – who will be exhibiting alongside supermajors including Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell. Service industry giants Baker Hughes, BGP, CGGVeritas, Halliburton, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Schlumberger, Tatweer Petroleum and Weatherford; national groups from North America and the UK; and numerous smaller independent specialist suppliers and distributors from across the globe complete this lineup.

“Reports indicate that the market for oilfield services is expected to grow to about $200 billion by the end of 2015 owing to an increase in the number of E&P projects and global demand for oil and gas. MEOS 2011 represents a timely opportunity for participants to initiate business, and at the same time, serve the needs of the industry as it seeks to progress through strategic collaborations, healthy competition and technological innovations in one of the most prolific hydrocarbon regions in the world,” says Arabian Exhibition Management director of Sales and Marketing Fawzi Al Shehabi.

GETENERGY VILLAGE
The importance of workforce education and training to the future of the industry will also fall under the spotlight in a new co-exhibition entitled the Getenergy Village at MEOS 2011. Following similar successful events held around the world, the Village provides a focal point for universities, colleges and training providers to exhibit and interact with E&P companies.

Across three days at MEOS, a series of ‘Star Turn’ presentations will also be delivered by leading figures from the international education and energy industries. Speakers will discuss their own journey and personal development through the oil and gas business; the role education and training has played in their careers and finally how their company is supporting education and workforce development for the energy industry.

The MEOS conference in session

Participation on the Getenergy programme includes Baker Hughes, Bapco and Saudi Aramco amongst others. Expert speakers from the Iraqi oil and gas industry will also discuss the latest education initiatives between the Ministry of Oil and the international oil industry.

“It is Getenergy’s ambition that investments made in education and training today will not only prepare a workforce equipped for the production of future energy, but will also ensure a positive legacy from finite resources. We work to ensure that, by investing in sustainable human resources, unsustainable natural resources can be transformed into assets with longevity through enhancing people, and their potential,” said Getenergy Chief Executive Officer Phil Andrews.

MEPEX 2011
MEOS 2011 will alos incorporate the second edition of the Middle East Prospect Exhibition (MEPEX 2011). Held under the patronage of Bahrain’s Energy Minister Dr Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza, and developed by a committee steered by Bapco, the objective of MEPEX 2011 is to provide a focused marketplace for the buying, selling and trading of oil and gas prospects and producing properties.

This prime E&P business event will showcase opportunities in unexplored oil and gas reserves and prospects for development in the Middle East and beyond. Middle Eastern and international government organisations, E&P majors, advisors and service providers will be in attendance at MEPEX 2011.

SPE CONFERENCE
The high level technical conference that runs parallel to the MEOS 2011 exhibition takes place this year under the theme ‘Shaping the Future of the Industry: Innovating Beyond Limits.’ The programme is coordinated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers in collaboration with a committee of senior regional and international industry figures, chaired by Mohammad Husain, Deputy Chairman, Kuwait Oil Company.

Over 2,000 conference delegates are expected to attend and benefit from senior keynote addresses, 5 executive level panel discussions, and more than 300 technical paper and poster presentations delivered by peers.

This year’s conference theme cites the importance of innovation and challenges the E&P industry to move forward with adaptively intelligent technologies, out-of-the-box business models and exceptional human skills. Sessions will cover 5 main areas of interest under this umbrella: reservoirs; production; drilling; exploration and appraisal; and human resources, business and the environment.

“MEOS is an important event in the calendar for the industry in the Middle East. It is one of the few multi-disciplinary events of its kind in the region and an excellent opportunity to network with key players in the industry, including: professionals, researchers, experts, key dignitaries, government officials and leading corporations. The industry will come together to discuss how to face ever-increasing challenges and more importantly, develop strategies to overcome them. The theme, ‘Shaping the Future: Innovating Beyond Limits’, is crucial to these discussions as it is a firm belief that innovation is the key to securing the industry’s future” said Waleed Refaay, managing director, SPE Middle East North Africa and India.

The MEOS 2011 conference will open on September 25 with a pace-setting keynote session on this year’s theme. Speakers include:

• Dr Abdul-Hussain bin Ali Mirza Minister of Energy, Bahrain;

• Mohamed Bin Dha’en Al-Hamili Minister of Energy, UAE;

• Ganesh Thakur, 2012 SPE president and vice president, Global Advisor and Chevron Fellow, Chevron Energy Technology Company;

• Mohammad A Husain (moderator) MEOS 2011 chairman and deputy chairman and deputy managing director, Planning and Gas, Kuwait Oil Company;

• Amin H Nasser senior vice president, Upstream, Saudi Aramco;

• Abdul Munim S Al-Kindy CEO, Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations;

• Andrew Gould chairman and CEO, Schlumberger;

• Chad Deaton chairman, president and CEO, Baker Hughes;

• Lee Tillman vice president, Engineering, ExxonMobil Development Company; and

• Sami F Al-Rushaid chairman and managing director, Kuwait Oil Company.

Other conference highlights include the introduction of a new special breakfast session devoted to finance. ‘Financing the Change’ will examine the major changes the oil industry can expect to see during the coming decade, and how these changes will be handled and funded.

COURSES & WORKSHOPS
A number of ancillary events will be held prior to MEOS 2011 at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre, providing delegates with further opportunities to learn and integrate. A total of two training courses will be staged on September 25 entitled Transient Well Testing and Waterflooding Concepts, Design Prediction and Optimisation.

A one-day workshop entitled Unlocking Talent Potential in the Region: Building Your Future by Collaboration and Knowledge Transfer will take place on September 25. This workshop will address the issues the energy industry is facing as the gap widens between an aging and experienced workforce and an inexperienced younger generation. It will provide a forum for dialogue and debate on how to tap the talent pool, particularly women bearing in mind inherited socio-political, legal and cultural factors.

YOUNG MEMBERS PROGRAMME
The importance of attracting the younger generation to the industry is further evidenced by the introduction of a four day Young Members Programme, which sponsors 100 of the best undergraduate geosciences and engineering students from Middle East institutions to attend MEOS 2011. Organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the programme will give students a clear insight into the industry that they are about to join and to allow them to return to their universities and colleges with a positive story to relate to their fellow students. At the same time, the students will be interacting with a number of major industry employers who are looking to recruit the best talent.