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Firsts in plenty for Gastech 2006
Posted: 01 May 2006
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With companies from 30 countries confirmed as exhibitors and the impressive and highly topical conference programme rapidly taking shape, Gastech 2006, the 22 nd international conference and exhibition for the LNG, LPG and natural gas industries, being held in Abu Dhabi 4-7 December, is set for sure fire success.
Due to a number of significant ‘firsts’, this year’s event promises to be even more than a highly successful conference and exhibition bringing the commercial and technical gas worlds together.
“Events need to evolve to keep abreast, and sometimes ahead, of market needs,” explains event director, Tony Stephenson of dmg world media ( uk) ltd, the organisers of Gastech. “Our additions to Gastech this year demonstrate our ongoing commitment to the international gas community. Thanks to huge support from sponsors, they include the integration of the Excellence in Energy Awards, a dedicated IT zone within the exhibition, a hosted buyers programme, exciting developments for GasTV, the first Gastech invitational golf tournament, the ability to hold onsite meetings in an effective way, and a commitment to the next generation of gas professionals.
“Delegates, exhibitors and visitors to Gastech can rest assured that these new features will not detract from the event they have come to rely upon as a forum for the exchange of knowledge. Indeed, with a packed exhibition, that has already been extended to an extra hall; and a superb conference programme taking shape following the submission of a record-breaking number of abstracts, we can assure the 5,300 senior gas industry decision makers who attended Gastech 2005 that what they will find this December in Abu Dhabi is the event they enjoy and rely upon with some invaluable added features.”
Gastech 2006 is being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Kh alifa Bin Zayed Al Nayan, President of the UAE and as directed by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nayan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. “We are receiving superb support from both our hosts ADNOC and Group of Companies and co-host Dolphin Energy,” explains Tony Stephenson.
About those ‘firsts’
- Pipeline Magazine will present the 2006 Excellence in Energy Awards at the Gastech Speakers Dinner on 3 December. Better known as the ‘Oil Oscars’ the awards attract over a thousand energy professionals and have become the region’s largest and most prestigious event for the oil and gas sector.
- Designed to recognise companies that make a significant difference in this dynamic industry, visitors to the Gastech website – www.gastech.co.uk - will be able to vote online for this year’s winners.
- The Gastech IT Zone is a new addition to the Gastech exhibition. Sponsored by Intel, this brand new feature is the result of cooperation with Pipeline Magazine and will allow attendees access to the leading information technology providers in the industry and free access to a series of technical workshops conducted within the exhibition hall.
- Gastech and LNG Hosted Buyers Programme – being held on 3 December, the day before Gastech 2006 opens, this hosted buyers programme will bring together international LNG carrier owners, operators and the industry’s key suppliers in a series of exclusive pre-arranged meetings. Organised by LNG World Shipping Journal the programme will also include social events during which networking can continue.
- GasTV Live – GasTV created a stir at Gastech 2005, and the programme made by the crew at the Bilbao show is still regularly watched by those visiting www.gastv.tv. There are exciting developments in store for Gastech 2006 - sponsored by ConocoPhillips a special news programme GasTV Live will provide a round-up of the day’s activities and be broadcast directly into delegate hotel rooms each evening and available to view within the exhibition coffee areas throughout the event.
- The 1 st Gastech Invitational Golf Tournament, organised with LNG World Shipping Journal, will take place on Thursday 7 December at the world class Abu Dhabi Golf Club and conclude with a prize-giving barbecue. For full details on how to book places please visit www.rivieramm.com/events/golf
- Research shows that one of the major reasons for attending Gastech is to meet other industry professionals. Meet at the Oasis ensures attendees can arrange onsite meetings in an effective way. Sponsored by ADGAS and GASCO this will feature an online networking service whereby registered delegates will be able to contact each other before Gastech via the event’s website, and arrange to meet at the ‘Oasis’ area onsite – a relaxed seating area on the exhibition floor that is perfect for informal meetings and that includes a cyber lounge to help attendees keep in touch with their offices.
- Gastech is investing in the future of the gas industry with a brand new initiative for students due to graduate in 2007. By raising sponsorship from key companies, top students from around the world will be funded to come to a special programme called Gastech - Fuelling the Future .
And the ‘tried and tested’
With a record-breaking number of abstracts received in answer to the Gastech 2006 Call for Papers, the Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) had a tough selection job. “Notifications have now gone out to all those who submitted abstracts and we have our final conference programme” says conference producer, Lynne Evans. “Our full conference programme will be published and distributed worldwide in May but in the meantime it is regularly updated on the Gastech website.”
As a small selection of names of speakers and chairmen shows, delegates can certainly expect a particularly strong line up including:- Ismail Al Ramahi, Gas Processing Manager, Exploration & Production Directorate, ADNOC; Mohamed Abdulla Sahoo Al Suwaidi, General Manager, GASCO; Ernest Anadon, Incoming President, International Gas Union; James Ball, President & Chief Mentor, Gas Strategies Consulting; Sara Banaszak, Senior Economist, Policy Analysis, American Petroleum Institute; Captain Doug Brown, General Manager, China LNG Shipping (International) Co Ltd; Prasert Bunsumpun, President, PTT; Thierry Desmarest, Chairman and CEO, Total; Alexander Dodds, MD, RasGas; Chris Clucas, Director, Dorchester Maritime LNG Ltd; John Cogan, Partner, Akin & Gump; Fereidun Fesharaki, President, FACTS Inc; Sergey Frank, DEO, Sovkomflot; W K Ki, Senior Executive Vice President, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering; Captain James MacHardy, General Manager, SIGTTO; Stuart McGill, Senior Vice President, ExxonMobil Corporation; Tony Meggs, Group Vice President, Technology, BP plc; Jim Mulva, Chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips; HE Yousef Omair Bin Yousef, CEO, ADNOC & Secretary General, Supreme Petroleum Council; Doug Rotenburg, President Global LNG, BP Gas Power and Renewables; Nicolas Saverys, CEO, Exmar; Paul Sibal, Gas Technologies Section Supervisor, ExxonMobil Upstream Research; Charif Souki, Chairman and CEO, Cheniere Energy; Bill Wayne, Development Manager, Shell Shipping Technology; Malcolm Wells, Communications Manager, Sasol Chevron; and Paul Young, Chief Marketing Officer, Exmar N.V.
The Gastech 2006 opening ceremony will be held on 4 December at the spectacular Emirates Palace Hotel and all other sessions will be at the Abu Dhabi International Exhibition Centre. Coaches will transport delegates between the two venues. As introduced in 2005, each day of Gastech will begin with a keynote session; followed by commercial, technical and speci ality tracks throughout the rest of the day.
This year’s Commercial Track will feature sessions on World Gas Supply & Demand, Forecast & Strategy; Alternative Trading Models in the Gas Business; Natural Gas & LNG Facilities – the Commercial Aspects; Natural Gas & LNG Projects, Development & Outlook, including Finance & Legal Issues; and The Road Ahead for Natural Gas & LNG. While the Technical Track will concentrate on Safety & Training for Ships and Terminals; Natural Gas & LNG Facilities including Storage, Regasification, Floating & Offshore; Application & Utilisation of Gases; and LNG Shipping – Development, Technology, Crewing, Operations and Trends. GTL; and Technical Developments sessions will be held under the heading “Speci ality Track”.
The Gastech conference will close at lunchtime on 7 December after an hour long ‘Gastech Perspective’ session looking at the highlights of the conference as handpicked by members of the PAC; and, in the closing ceremony, the handover of the Gastech Flag by the UAE to Thailand in preparation for Gastech 2008 in Bangkok hosted by PTT.
Conference registrations are coming in thick and fast from all around the world as delegates take advantage of the early bird booking rate in operation until the end of June.
“The exhibition gives us great cause for celebration,” says Tony Stephenson. “Show on show it has grown dramatically both in terms of size and stature, and this year is certainly no exception to that rule. Already we have had to add an additional hall which is rapidly filling – indeed, 80 percent of all available space has been sold; and our exhibitor list reads like a ‘who’s who’ of the international gas industry.”
Posted by Editor Pipeline Magazine
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