By Kimberly Ramkhalawan
kramkhalawan@caribmagplus.com
June 18, 2021
In what was carded to be a virtual event later this month, will now be a hybrid one with a new date to be set. The 3rd Annual Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit & Exhibition 2021 (GIPEX-2021) which initially had June 28th – 30th as its event dates, says the Ministry of Natural Resources, Guyana took the decision to change its dates with the hopes of having a live-in person and virtual event in an effort to maximize the impact of GIPEX, particularly on the local business community and the development of the energy sector. GIPEX 2021 says by conducting as a hybrid event, it hopes to amalgamate both in-person and digital features, where participants can connect and collaborate with potential clients face to face and through a new-age online platform.
Earlier this year the exhibition invited indigenous companies to participate in its virtual event for free once they were able to show they were fully owned by Guyanese Nationals, not a subsidiary of any foreign or multinational company, and had full-fledged operations in Guyana.
The event is expected to see participation from global Oil and Gas companies such as ExxonMobil, Hess Corporation, Schlumberger, Halliburton, SOL Petroleum and others.
GIPEX 2021, is being hosted as a joint event between the Ministry of Natural Resources, support from the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association and Valiant Business Media (VBM).
The Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, in a statement, said the Ministry was pleased to be hosting the event jointly with VBM. Bharrat added that the “GIPEX remains our largest oil and gas conference and exhibition, providing a great opportunity for all stakeholders to convene in order to discover opportunities; be updated on the latest developments; network; establish business contacts and discuss opportunities and developments within the oil and gas sector in Guyana,” the Minister said. He added, “This year we would like to put more focus on the advancement of local content and are looking forward to facilitating maximum participation of the indigenous companies, the small and medium-sized enterprises as well as the startups in addition to international companies interested in exploring tremendous opportunities in our oil and gas sector.”
The exhibition will allow participants to interact closely with peers across the globe and conduct business, generate qualified leads and gauge instant market reaction with real-time engagement metrics.
The conference will include presentations and panel discussions giving insights on the latest trends and techniques in the industry as well as prevalent challenges and solutions to tackle business disruptions caused by the pandemic; and the implication of COVID-19 on the global oil and gas supply chain. In addition, leading experts in the market will field participants’ questions on the industry.
GIPEX has a history of successful execution, with over 250 local and international companies participating in the 2019 summit in addition to around 100 exhibiting Companies.
Major industry operatives have already signaled their interest in being a part of GIPEX 2021. Saipem is on board as a Gold Exhibitor, while JHI Associates, TechnipFMC and Oceaneering are silver sponsors. Associate sponsors include Sol, Parker and Digicel.
The third annual GIPEX is particularly timely because business opportunities in Guyana’s oil and gas sector are growing quickly, as news of the nation’s nine billion barrels continues to attract the interest of the international business community.