Launched with government and industry support - 4th LIOG-2018 Summit becomes a milestone in developing Lebanon’s petroleum sector

With the approval of the award of two maritime blocks offshore Lebanon and the expected signing of the first exploration and production (E&P) contracts, the 4^th Lebanon International Oil & Gas Summit (4^th LIOG-2018) has been launched to consolidate its pivotal role in the development of the country’s promising petroleum sector.

After the remarkable success of its three previous editions since 2012, the organizers of the Lebanon International Oil & Gas Summit (LIOG) announced that the fourth edition of the event will take place at the Hilton Beirut Habtoor Grand Hotel, on 24 and 25 April 2018.

The 4^th LIOG-2018 Summit, held under the patronage of the Lebanese minister of energy and water, HE Eng. Cesar Abi Khalil, gained an unprecedented support by public and private organizations in Lebanon and around the world, according to a statement by the organizers of the event.

The aim of this event is to promote investment and business opportunities in the Lebanese oil and gas sector and across the associated service industry and supply chain.

“This year’s edition of the LIOG Summit comes at a perfect time. It coincides with the great and successful progress in Lebanon’s first bidding round,” said Paul Gilbert, Managing Director of one of the two organizing companies, UK Based Global Events Partners Ltd (GEP), a part of dmg::events.

“The event will certainly provide all participants with the best possible platform for insightful information and debate, and dedicated networking opportunities for purposeful meetings and building partnerships,” Gilbert added.

Last December, the Lebanese government approved the award of exclusive exploration and production (E&P) rights in two offshore blocks to a consortium composed of Total S.A, Eni International BV and JSC Novatek.

Strong topics and participation:

The summit will highlight this important progress and showcase the highly advanced world-class regulatory and operational frameworks for this nascent industry. It is expected to attract over 500 delegates and 35 speakers from 25 countries representing over 200 local and international companies and organizations, and to become a milestone on the road of developing Lebanon’s petroleum industry.

Centered around the theme, “Promoting Lebanon’s dynamic and inspiring opportunities”, LIOG-2018 is set to cover important topics including:

• An industry and market update showcasing potentials and recent achievements, along with the latest on Lebanon’s first licensing round, and the prospects for future bid rounds in the light of the legal, financial and technical frameworks.
• Investment opportunities and returns throughout the value chain, along with fresh opportunities and challenges from the points of view of both the government and international operators, right-holders and service providers. The attractiveness of Lebanon as a destination for investments in oil and gas is also to be discussed, highlighting the many benefits that Lebanon has to offer.
• An in-depth understanding of the opportunities associated with possible facilities and infrastructure projects which will be needed for the development of the sector. A special emphasis is given to the sector’s supply chain and local content within all business activities across the value chain in both the exploration and production phases.

All those subjects will be presented within a well-structured, very rich programme over two consecutive days.

In addition to the awarded exploration and production (E&P) companies, participants are expected to include a wide range of service providers like, drilling and well service contractors; pipeline services and maintenance; engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors; banks and insurers; specialized law firms; specialized IT and telecommunications companies; HSE consultants and suppliers; suppliers of work accessories; recruitment agencies and more.

Dory Renno, Managing Director of the co-organizing company, Planners and Partners S.A.L., said, “We are proud to be the only private event organizing team who is capable of delivering an event in this magnitude in Lebanon,” emphasizing the fact the LIOG Summit has played a major role in promoting and developing this nascent industry in Lebanon since 2012.

 “We believe in Lebanon and in its business climate, which makes it a great place for the conference and exhibitions industry,” Renno added. “We also strongly believe that successful conferences like LIOG reflect a positive image about Lebanon as an attractive investment arena.’’

Real Business Opportunities

Renno indicated that the summit will also offer a dedicated networking area with reserved spaces for sponsoring and supporting companies and organizations, as well as an exclusive area for individual business-meetings available to all participants.

Additionally, He emphasized the importance of the summit’s unique service of pre-arranged business meetings, which provides all participants, supporters and sponsors with the possibility to book meetings online with their prospective suppliers and customers prior to the event. “In 2017, we had nearly 65 individual meetings booked prior to the conference,” he explained.

The 4^th LIOG-2018 Summit is organized by UK-based Global Events Partners Ltd (GEP) and its Lebanese co-organizing partner, Planners and Partners sal.

Global Event Partners Ltd is affiliated to the dmg::events network, which organizes some of the world’s largest oil and gas business events including Gastech, ADIPEC, the Global Petroleum Show and the World Heavy Oil Congress and are a subsidiary of the Daily Mail and General Trust plc, one of the largest media companies in the UK.

In the 2017 edition of ADIPEC, which is held annually in Abu Dhabi, dmg::events facilitated a highly visible participation for Lebanon, where Minister Abi Khalil delivered a keynote speech, and the Lebanese Petroleum Administration (LPA) had a promotional stand within the exhibition.