The Lebanon International Oil and Gas Summit will be held in its 5th edition from 2 to 4 April, 2019 at the Hilton Beirut Habtoor Grand Hotel under the patronage of the Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water, HE Mrs. Nada Boustani Khoury.
The Summit will present once again a meeting platform for hundreds of investors and companies within the oil and gas industry from Lebanon and around the world along with a growing number of supporting organizations from both the public and private sectors.
The 5th LIOG-2019 Summit is organized by the British-based company, Global Events Partners Ltd. (GEP), and Lebanon’s Planners and Partners S.A.L.GEP is affiliated to the dmg::events network, a leading organizer of world-renowned oil and gas events like Gastech, and ADIPEC; and is a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc, one of the largest media companies in the UK
Executive discussed with Dory Renno, Managing Director of Planners and Partners the objectives of the event and its objectives and role.
Q- What is the importance of the event this year to the oil and gas sector?
- Following the formation of its new government, Lebanon is expected to boost its oil and gas activities and benefit from major opportunities in 2019.
The newly formed government will put special emphasis on the resumption of efforts and implementation of plans in developing the country’s oil and gas resources. The newly appointed minister of energy and water, HE Mrs. Nada Boustani, one of four female ministers in the new cabinet, will lead this process with a long and informed career within the ministry.
The 5th LIOG-2019 Summit will be at the center of such an exciting year. The event will again be the platform for hundreds of oil and gas companies and investors from Lebanon and around the world.
This has actually been reflected in the huge interest in Lebanon’s hydrocarbon resources from local international companies and organizations.
This growing industry interest stems from the fact that the summit will coincide with major developments in the Lebanese oil and gas sector, as well as from the success of the LIOG-Summit in its previous editions. It has become the most important petroleum business event in Lebanon and one of the most successful in the East Mediterranean.
This year’s developments in the sector include the start of exploration drilling in the two offshore blocks which were licensed in 2018 to a consortium of three international oil majors – French company Total, Italy’s Eni and Novatek of Russia.
This year will also mark the launch of the second licensing round offshore Lebanon, and the introduction of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) for the first time to the Lebanese market through FSRUs.
Q- What are the main themes to be discussed during the conference?
- The conference will host nearly 50 speakers including prominent oil and gas experts from around the world, and high-level officials from both the private and public sectors.
For the first time in its history, the summit, which is being organized around the slogan: ‘A full stream of insights and opportunities’, is adding one full day for discussions on technological issues including some important topics like digitalization in the oil and gas sector, and geological and technical advances in the sector and their impact on the Lebanese oil and gas industry.
The technical day will be open to participants, especially those with technical backgrounds to support the ongoing efforts to educate and develop a Lebanese workforce to work in this promising industry and benefit from it.
The technical day will be added to two full days of insightful discussions within the summit strategic conference which covers the latest developments throughout the value chain of the sector. Those topics will be divided into nine enriching sessions.
An upstream session will update participants on the latest developments in the progress of the sector, while three other sessions will be dedicated to dealing with different scenarios in both the midstream and downstream. They will provide an enriching perspective to decision makers on the challenges and opportunities in those sectors.
Other sessions will provide an update on local, regional and international oil and gas markets, the supply chain, the Health Safety Security and Environment related issues and opportunities.
The summit programme also puts an emphasis on transparency and governance in the Lebanese oil and gas sector, and the commitment of the Lebanese government to such issues, particularly in the light of the newly introduced laws and regulations.
Q- In addition to the sessions and discussions, in practical terms, how can a delegate benefit from participating?
- From a practical point of view, the benefits of participating in the conference go way beyond learning from the speakers’ insights and experience. It may very well bring actual and realistic business and investment opportunities to most delegates.
The conference hall will have an adjacent networking area with dedicated spaces for sponsors and supporters and a special area for B-to-B meetings which can be prearranged online for all visitors, sponsors and participants. This will allow all participants to have interactive networking opportunities and discuss business deals.
Just like in the previous editions of the Summit, we are expecting hundreds of one-to-one meetings to be arranged and held throughout the event, by using our advanced B-to-B meetings service on LIOG’s website, where such meetings can be booked prior to or during the event.
This service has helped hundreds of Lebanese and international businesses benefit from actual opportunities in Lebanon and build profitable partnerships..
Q- How can LIOG support various businesses from different economic sectors related to the petroleum sector?
- Since its inception, the organizers of the event have been committed to benefiting various affected economic sectors from the opportunities offered by oil and gas activities. Such benefits reached a large number of public and private establishments operating in related sectors and a number of interested investors.
The conference ordinarily enters in partnerships with associations and trade organizations whose members have direct interests in the oil and gas industry not only in extracting and operating, but also in the supply of products and services to big operators. Those important suppliers form the so-called “supply chain”, which has always assumed priority in the structure and philosophy of the conference.
In addition to the commercial sponsors of the event, important partnerships were held with a number of Lebanese and international economic and trade bodies like the Beirut Section of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the association of Lebanese American Petroleum Professionals (LAPP), a group of US energy experts from Lebanese descent, the Italian Trade Agency, Lebanon’s Association of Insurance companies (Association des Compagnies des Assurances Au Liban – ACAL), and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) – Lebanon Branch and others.
One of the main objectives of the conference has always been to enable Lebanese businesses to benefit from the huge operational and investment opportunities that the oil and gas sector provides to all sectors of the national economy. This which will certainly have a positive impact the on the country’s economy in general and will positively affect the lives of a large segment of citizens.
Consequently, and with the absence of Lebanese expertise in the field of petroleum, it is necessary for Lebanon to benefit from regional and international expertise in this field. The LIOG Summit has since its inception back in 2012 succeeded is creating the right platform for such for interaction and networking.