THE inaugural Tank Storage Middle East held in Abu Dhabi in late January has been heralded as a huge success. The two-day event, which was the largest dedicated tank storage conference and exhibition for the region, boasted all of the biggest names within the industry, including Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al Mazrouei, the UAE Minister of Energy, who opened the show and delivered its keynote address.
In his opening remarks, Al Mazrouei stressed that the UAE is still heavily committed to developing oil facilities in accordance with the best international safety standards. He continued to explain that protecting the environment and human safety are two other top priorities within the UAE’s oil and gas sector.
The paid-for conference programme played a central role within the success of the show, with many delegates and senior decision-makers highlighting it as a particular triumph. The conference programme featured talks by 20 industry experts from companies such as Enoc, Siddco Group, Fujairah Oil Terminal, Gulf Petrochem and GPS Chemoil.
One of the biggest topics discussed during the conference was the increasing importance of Fujairah as an oil and trading hub and the importance of The International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC).
Nizam Noorali, chief operating officer at Socar Aurora Fujairah Terminals stated: “Fujairah will emerge as a hub for business activity. The IPIC refinery, with a processing capacity of 200,000 barrels per day, will be a game changer.”
Tarun Arora, general manager at GPS Chemoil, agreed: “Once the IPIC refinery project is completed by the end of 2016, the demand for storage will increase. There will be a boom.”
“If you want to keep up to date with new product developments you can’t afford to miss this event,” commented James Ormandy, business development manager at Almousawi Trading Co.
Exhibitors also found the show a major success with 88 per cent of suppliers rebooking stands on the spot for the 2016 show. The debut show featured 96 leading international exhibitors, with 13 per cent of these using the event to launch new products to the wider Middle East market.
GREAT LEADS ACHIEVED
“What an exhibition! We made some great leads and established some fantastic new partners. We are very much looking forward to Tank Storage Middle East 2016,” said Daniel Feenstra, business development manager at Kanon Loading Equipment Middle East FZE.
Tank Storage Middle East is part of the world’s largest portfolio of tank storage events, which take place in the key bulk liquid storage hubs of Abu Dhabi, Antwerp, Singapore, Rotterdam and Hamburg. Show organiser, Easyfairs, is excited by the way the portfolio is shaping up and the feedback from its debut Middle East show, as Nick Powell, StocExpo & Tank Storage portfolio event director, concluded: “We are overwhelmed with the support and backing that our inaugural show has received, and we are thrilled that the meticulous market research we performed on the region has paid off. The time spent listening to the Middle East’s top terminal operators, oil companies, key decision-makers and manufacturers was certainly invaluable. 88 per cent of exhibitors rebooking for the next edition of the show is simply fantastic by any events standards, let alone a debut show. This just reiterates how important the show is to this area and highlights what an opportunity we have to grow and expand before the doors open on our 2016 event.”
The next Tank Storage Middle East takes place on January 25 and 26, 2016 at The Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, Abu Dhabi.
