News | October 29, 2012

The EIC Announces A World-Class Conference Line-Up At Its Flagship EIC Connect Oil & Gas 2012 Supply Chain Event

Major operators and contractors to lead a high-value programme of conference sessions, supply chain briefings and one-to-one supplier-buyer meetings at the EIC’s must-attend event.

Many of the world’s leading oil and gas operators and contractors will converge on Manchester on 27-28 November for the biggest energy supply chain event of the year – EIC Connect Oil & Gas 2012. For the first time in its ten-year history, the event will include a two-day conference to run alongside supply chain presentations and the exhibition.

Speakers from major companies, who operate at the frontline of the global oil and gas industry, will lead an expert conference programme that promises to offer invaluable insight to the critical challenges and opportunities facing the supply chain today.

Paul Massih, Vice President of Contracting and Procurement at Shell will lead a Plenary Session to open the event, to be followed by a full programme of conference sessions, supply chain presentations and one-to-one meetings aimed at informing suppliers on future markets, upcoming projects and procurement strategies.

For the conference sessions, panellists fromworld-class operators such as Petrobras, Statoil and Woodside will sit alongside leading contractors such as Aker Solutions and Halliburton to tackle topics such as: ‘What’s left in the North Sea?’, a look at the opportunities and challenges to increase recovery in the more technically challenging North Sea fields; and ‘Unconventional gases – an energy revolution’, a review ofsupply chain opportunities coming out of the current dash for unconventional gas.

With Australia set to become the second largest LNG exporter in the world by 2017, the ‘LNG Australia – future investments and opportunities’ conference session will identify the issues in delivering the seven projects currently under construction, while the ‘Ultra deepwater – understanding the challenges’ session will call on the supply chain to deliver the solutions that will unlock some of the potential barriers to producing oil and gas in these technically challenging frontiers.

Dr Michael Hession, Senior Vice President, Browse LNG Development, Woodside, and panellist for the LNG Australia conference session, said: “Woodside has a contracting strategy to drive competition, innovation and risk sharing. We have engaged tier one contractors who are best-in-class in delivering mega-projects like Browse and now look forward to engaging with suppliers in the UK at EIC Connect.”

The event, taking place at Manchester Central, is being hosted by the Energy Industries Council (EIC), the leading trade association for UK companies supplying goods and services to the energy industries worldwide. At the event, 75 companies will be exhibiting products and services that showcase the best in supply chain excellence.

In addition to the conferenceand exhibition, EIC Connect Oil and Gas will host a much-anticipated programme of supply chain briefings delivered by major operators and contractors. Confirmed to date are Aker Solutions, AMEC, Bechtel, BG Group, Centrica, ConocoPhillips, Foster Wheeler, Kværner, Larsen & Toubro, Petrofac, SBM Offshore, Shell, Statoil, Subsea 7 and Tullow Oil, who will deliver insight on their latest global oil and gas projects and advise delegates on supply chain contracting strategies. All presentations will be supplemented by one-to-one meetings where delegates will have the opportunity to put their case direct to key purchasing decision-makers.

Hans Wagner, Proposals & Technical Manager at SBM Offshore, who will be speaking at the event, said: “With contracts awarded to UK companies representing a quarter of SBM’s total spend each year, we are keen to provide a corporate update to the supply chain at EIC Connect this year – an event that has proved to be an excellent industry networking event in the past. We look forward to sharing new developments and some of our technological and commercial challenges.”

EIC Connect Oil & Gas 2012 is organised in association with UKTI, who will host an International Showcase at the event, with International Commercial Officers present to offer delegates advice on how to access key markets. The UKTI will also hold presentations by representatives from PetroVietnam, Sonatrach and StroyTransgas detailing specific projects, equipment and service requirements that are geared towards UK companies.

John Crawford, Head of the Oil & Gas Strategic Trade Group at UKTIsaid: “EIC Connect works well for us. It’s an excellent vehicle to get our message across to a key target audience in UK companies. It also helps us forge long-term relationships with major players in the energy supply chain.”

EIC staff will be on hand at the event to discuss the many ways that the organisation can help with business development activities. Representatives from all of the EIC Regional Overseas Offices, Membership, Events, Training and Business Information teams will be there to meet delegates and to answer questions, plus there will be live demonstrations of EICDataStream, the EIC’s online project tracking database.

Dr Phil Goddard, Director of Consultancy, will also be at the event to launch EIC Consult’s UK Upstream 2012 Report, which features comprehensive analysis of supply chain dynamics and contractor activity on the UKCS. The report provides valuable insight into emerging opportunities and growth areas, with a focus on key projects on the UKCS.There will be a 20% discount off the cover price for delegates at the EIC Connect Oil & Gas event.

Commenting on EIC Connect Oil & Gas, Sarah Lansdell, Head of National Events at the EIC, said: “EIC Connect has an outstanding speaker line-up and an exhibitor list that showcases the very best of the UK oil & gas supply chain. With the added value of a conference running alongside, we are confident that this will be the best EIC Connect event yet, delivering high quality networking and significant revenue-generating opportunities across the supply chain.“

To see the full line-up of the conference sessions, supply chain presentations and the exhibitor list, or to book your delegate place for just £295 +VAT per person (EIC members), or £325 +VAT (non-members), please visit: www.eic-connect.co.uk

The next in the EIC Connect series of events will be EIC Connect Oil, Gas & Power 2013 in Abu Dhabi next June, followed by a return to Manchester Central in the November for EIC Connect Energy 2013, which will cover all aspects of power generation.

About The EIC

The EIC is the leading trade association for UK companies supplying goods and services to the energy industries worldwide. Established in 1943, the EIC has over 670 member companies and provides them with the capability to understand, identify and pursue global business opportunities.

The EIC membership comprises contractors and suppliers from all areas of the energy sector who make a significant contribution to the UK economy, employing in aggregate around one million and generating £100B in revenues from their UK operations.

The EIC is a not-for-profit organisation governed by a Board of 20 Directors elected by members annually.

The EIC’s head office is in London with regional offices in Billingham and Aberdeen, and overseas offices in Rio de Janeiro, Houston, Singapore, Beijing and Dubai.

For a full list of members, visit http://www.the-eic.com/ProcurementGuide/search.aspx.

Source: The EIC