…event allows maximisation of local participation– organisers

THE second Guyana International Petroleum Exhibition (GIPEX), which is scheduled to be held at the Marriott Hotel from November 20-22, 2019, is not funded by taxpayers, said the organisers of the exhibition.

The event is being organised by UK-based Valiant Business Media in collaboration with the Department of Energy, Ministry of the Presidency, with support from the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest). No oil company is part of the organising team for this event.
Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, has posited that GIPEX is a waste of taxpayers’ money and should not take place.

“The exhibition is an abuse of state resources and the government should not be using any money,” said Jagdeo during a recent press briefing.
In response to Jagdeo, the organisers of the exhibition said: “GIPEX is 100 per cent funded by Valiant Business Media by way of support and sponsorship from companies in the oil and gas industry, as is standard with the staging of such events. No revenue from taxpayers is used for the staging of this event.”

In addition, the organisers of the event said rates for entry are subsidised for Guyanese companies. The local businesses receive a 35 per cent discount.
These discounts have been adjusted over the last year in keeping with the movement of costs associated with the staging of the event.

“Start-up companies pay a specially reduced group rate of US$1,500 per booth space, shared by three companies, which amounts to just US$500 per company,” said the GIPEX organisers.

Each of the start-up companies will receive a delegate pass at no additional cost. The event also provides a platform for local companies to announce new joint ventures and partnerships to the media, by way of scheduled organised press briefings which significantly aid in maximising their visibility to a global audience.

Valiant Business Media has also been engaging the local private sector with a view to maximising its participation in this signature event.

A team of Guyanese-owned companies continue to be engaged for the provision of services for GIPEX. These services include event planning; equipment rental; communications and marketing; branding and décor; multi-media services; accommodation; logistics and security.

GIPEX remains the largest oil and gas conference and exhibition in Guyana; it serves to place the spotlight on the rapidly growing investment opportunities and avenues for partnerships that exist, which are crucial to the growth and development of local industry.

With the participation of more than 600 delegates and well over 175 companies in 2018, GIPEX 2019 is poised to attract and engage the biggest players in the oil and gas industry as the country moves closer to first-oil.

“We remain committed to working with all stakeholders in the development of the emerging oil and gas industry and the positive impact this would have on the economy and country as a whole,” said the GIPEX organisers.