International Energy Conference, Expo opens tomorrow with 1,200 participants
With some 1,200 participants already registered for Guyana’s highly-anticipated International Energy Conference and Expo 2023, plans for the mega event are on schedule, with minimum challenges.
During a media conference Monday, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the forum, Kurt Baboolall said the event will see the involvement of some 200 exhibitors and just over 800 delegates and sponsors.
The annual conference provides a platform for companies to tackle concerns affecting the energy sector, as well as challenges of climate change mitigation, and maximising the benefits of local content development in Guyana and the region.
Already, there are several country leaders and dignitaries who are slated to attend and provide remarks at the energy session, including Colombia’s former president Iván Duque.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Keith Rowley is expected to attend the event for the first time, while Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves will also be present.
The CEO pointed out that the annual energy conference is a good look for Guyana, noting that this is evident in the significant hike in participants from 130 last year to 200 in 2023.
“We have seen exhibitors going into sponsorship and that is a key indicator that they see value in doing business, they see value in presenting themselves here at this event.
“And so, they are not just setting the benchmark but the actuality and reality are there. That 130 moving to 200 is a very close balance between 50 per cent international and 50 per cent local, and we have a majority of our clients coming back again. But the variants this year are made up of traditional and even new companies coming into the energy sector,” the CEO added.
Meanwhile, Baboolall disclosed that the event this year also caters for a special young professional forum, allowing them to have a more indepth understanding of the oil and gas sector, and even provide proposals.
About 350 persons have already registered since the session was announced last week. Going forward, Baboolall stated that other persons interested in the three-hour youth engagement can register online for free at www.guyanaenergy.gy.
To minimise traffic congestion, the CEO noted that the Everest Cricket Ground and the Police Eve Leary Sports Ground are identified as areas for vehicle parking.
“We are also providing shuttles to have persons move from those two locations to the event, we see that as beneficial because we will be providing security, and no one will have to park on the roads,” he relayed.
The exhibition aspect of the event will open on Tuesday at 1:00 pm and tickets are currently on sale for $5,000.
The global energy conference is set to open Tuesday, February, 14 and continues until Friday 17, at the Marriott Hotel. The event was hosted in Guyana for the first time last year.