Muscat, In 2020, the Sultanate of Oman will
host the prestigious International Gas Union’s 16th International Gas
Research Conference (IGRC 2020), in collaboration with Oman LNG.
The event will be held at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre
(OCEC).
The event will attract many senior level executives and
technical gas experts from the global gas industry. The Conference will
be hosted in the Middle East for the first time.
IGRC is a triennial event organised by International Gas Union
(IGU), attracting over 1000 participants representing more than 40
countries. IGRC 2020 will highlight the research, development and
innovation aspects of the ever-growing gas industry. Additionally, the
esteemed event will bring enormous socio-economic benefits to Oman
and promote the country as an important foothold to hold conferences,
exhibitions and events. It will also leverage the Sultanate’s strategic
location and enhance the country’s profile as a preferred destination for
doing business.
The event could not have come at a better time, as 2020 marks
a significant milestone in which Oman LNG will celebrate its twenty
years of existence since its start of operations in 2000. Oman LNG was
established through the visionary leadership of His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos Bin Said by a Royal Degree in 1994.
According to the IGU, Oman supplies a critical 3 per cent of
liquefied natural gas to meet demand in the international LNG trade
and its volumes are pivotal in keeping the balance of supply and
demand. With natural gas as the world’s cleanest and most efficient
fossil fuel, Oman LNG plays an important role, bringing energy to
many corners of the world, helping to diversify the country’s economy.
Oman LNG, as the longest existing IGU member in Oman, has
exerted great efforts to bring prestigious gas events to Oman, to be
able to showcase the multitude of wonders this country has in
abundance � from its strategic geographic location, well-developed
venues to the beautiful natural splendours this country boasts.
The LNG industry is a significant contributor to a steadily
increasing quality of life for citizens and residents in the Sultanate of
Oman through its execution of a wide swath of social investment
programmes through Oman LNG Development Foundation that
addresses many economic and social needs. Export of Oman’s first
cargo was in 2000 and since then, proceeds from the blossoming trade
have supported, what some observers have described, as an ambitious
diversification programme that has spurred growth in other important
sectors of the economy including tourism, agriculture and spreading
vital infrastructure that support business and daily life.
Harib al-Kitani, CEO of Oman LNG said, We are very grateful
and humbled by being able to bring such a prestigious event to Oman.
The IGRC 2020 will bring over 1000 senior leaders, partners and
experts in the gas industry together to share invaluable insights into
the role of natural gas today, amid critical gas discoveries and a
booming gas industry, and in the future. The competition was very
intense and the voting decision by 30 members of the IGU Executive
Committee marked Oman as the next destination for such a prestigious
conference. Such outstanding success is attributed to the on-going
cooperation between the International Gas Union and Oman LNG, with
the support of the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Rodney Cox, Events Director of the International Gas Union
stated, “The International Gas Union (IGU) is very pleased to welcome
Muscat, Oman as the Host of IGRC 2020. IGU Charter Member, Oman
LNG, has been an active contributor to IGU and hosting IGRC 2020
builds on this ongoing support. We look forward to an outstanding
conference that supports both IGU’s global objectives, as well as a
legacy for the natural gas industry in Oman and the region”.
The Sultanate of Oman is widely recognised as a global leader
in enhanced recovery technologies. This is largely thanks to the
country’s focus on research and the key reason behind Oman’s
application to host IGRC 2020 was to further Oman’s ambition of
becoming a knowledge economy and to transform the commodity
reliant country into one that helps shape the world’s thinking. The
congress will help Oman realise its vision and help contribute to
disseminating the best practices and research in enhanced oil and gas
recovery.
Dr. Hisataka Yakabe, General Manager of the Fundamental
Technology Institute, Tokyo Gas Co. said, “We hope that the IGRC will
meet the aspirations of all the participants, stimulate the gas business
of Oman, and provide technological insight into the industry”.
Said al-Shanfari, CEO of the Oman Convention and Exhibition
Centre (OCEC) added, It is a privilege to be able to showcase Oman
and OCEC as the leading venue of choice in the Arabian Gulf and we
will be honoured to host the 2020 IGRC Conference. OCEC has now
won 22 international and regional conferences that will be hosted in the
Sultanate over the next few years contributing over RO 24.5 million
(USD 63.5 million) and we look forward to welcoming the IGRC
delegates from April 2020″. The Director of Oman Conference Office at
the Ministry of Tourism, Khalid al-Zedjali said, “We are delighted to
share efforts with Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre (OCEC) to
promote business tourism in the Sultanate”.
The world-class OCEC has been built specially to attract and
accommodate international events such as this and includes a 3,200-
person theatre, 22,000 sq. metres of pillar-less exhibition space plus 55
other meeting and reception spaces. Also, the centre offers two
ballrooms (including the largest ballroom in Oman). A’ Narjis Ballroom
can accommodate 540 guests for a banquet or 1,000 guests theatre
style while Al Irfan Ballroom can seat 1,200 people for a sumptuous
dinner or up to 7 breakout areas for a convention. Both ballrooms
feature a column-free space with subtle Omani design details as well
as the very latest in audio-visual support. Moreover, OCEC has a
multi-storey car park with a capacity for more than 4,000 vehicles.
Source: Oman News Agency