20th WPC Date and Venue Announced

DOHA, QATAR 9th March 2009 - Qatar yesterday signed the memorandum of understanding to formalize the country’s hosting of the 20th World Petroleum Congress in 2011. The date and venue were also officially announced in the presence of H.E. Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah, Deputy Premier, Minister of Energy & Industry.

The MoU was signed by National Committee Chairman, Abdullah Salatt and WPC president Dr. Randy G. Gossen at the Qatar Petroleum stand following the opening of the 7th Doha Natural Gas Conference & Exhibition.

The 20th WPC will be held December 4-8, 2011 with the exhibition to be staged at the Qatar National Convention Centre which will open in 2011, offering 40,000sqm. On opening it will be one of the largest and best equipped centres of its kind in the region.

This is a historic achievement for the State of Qatar, as it will be the first time in the WPC’s 75-year history a Congress will be held in the Middle East.

H.E. Al-Attiyah said it was an honor for Doha to be chosen as the venue of 20th Congress in 2011.

“I am extremely proud that Qatar has the honor to host the 20th WPC. Qatar’s bid highlighted Doha’s wealth of experience in hosting large scale events, conferences and exhibitions. In terms of its petroleum industry by 2011 Qatar will be one of the world’s major energy centers as the number one producer and exporter of LNG, be the capital of the gas-to-liquids industry, as well a leading producer of fertilizers and petrochemicals,” H.E. Al-Attiyah said.

Dr. Randy G. Gossen, the president of the World Petroleum Council, congratulated Qatar. “We are pleased that Doha will be hosting the 20th World Petroleum Congress in 2011. It is long overdue that the Congress should be held in the region where the majority of the world’s petroleum resources are based. With the strong commitment and support from the government of Qatar, we look forward to a truly historic event for the petroleum industry in 2011.”

Work towards the 20th WPC has already commenced with the National Committee having established working committees.

The WPC conference and exhibition, held every three years, is regarded as the largest event of its kind for the industry and is expected to attract more than 4,000 delegates and 500 exhibitors.

The 19th WPC was held in Madrid, Spain last June.

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