–with almost 200 exhibitors, over 800 delegates 

ALMOST 200 exhibitors and over 800 delegates are scheduled to be part of the second edition of Guyana’s annual International Energy Conference and Expo, which opens at the Marriott Hotel on Tuesday, and runs until Friday.

President, Dr Irfaan Ali will deliver the keynote address at the opening ceremony, which will also include remarks by at least two other heads of state: Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Keith Rowley, and Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves.

President of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, is also scheduled to speak; however, he is likely to present virtually. Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, is also likely to present virtually.

This was according to the Director of Communications, Alex Graham and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the conference and expo, Kurt Baboolall, during a press briefing on Monday.

The event has 30 confirmed sponsors, while the expo will have some 188 booths, comprising 70 international entities and 83 local businesses.

According to Baboolall, preparations for the event are on schedule, and thus far there have been no challenges except the weather.

Graham related that based on three critical benchmarks, this year’s conference has seen marked improvement, and that is in the areas of commercial performance, having content that drives individuals to want to come and participate in the conference, and making the necessary organisational improvements that drive the conference.

“We are rolling out for example a number of new technologies to help with access, movement, security, and overall efficiency. Those are not the only three, but if we took those three metrics, I believe we are doing better than we did last year,” Graham said.

However, Graham acknowledged that the conference is not at optimum performance in all of the areas it needs to be, and the company is working on further improvements as the years continue.

“We still have space to keep improving how we are doing this. And we have people who are dedicated to working at this all the time,” Graham said.

However, Baboolall related that the value for the client has increased, notwithstanding the cost remaining the same.

“In a way, they’re getting more. Last year, we had 120 booths, this year we have close to 200; our sponsorship has increased, we are seeing exhibitors going into sponsorship and that is a key indicator that they see value in doing business, they see value in presenting themselves here,” Baboolall said.

Last year at the inaugural hosting, the event landed 32 sponsors and saw 822 conference attendees, which included members of the diaspora and had 153 exhibitors.

Some 47 speakers also delivered presentations. This year, the event has 60 speakers and is being held under the theme, “Harnessing Energy for Development.”

Following the opening ceremony, business on the first day gets underway with a presentation by Vice-President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on “Guyana’s Energy Policy” and he will be followed by a presentation from ExxonMobil Upstream Oil and Gas Company President, and remarks from Hess Corporation CEO, John Hess on the “Macro Oil and Gas Industry and An Outlook for Guyana.”

The day will also see two panel discussions, on “Skills Development and the Future of Work” and “Regional Collaboration.”

Day Two delves into a number of issues and projects surrounding oil and gas, energy, and climate sustainability in Guyana, including a presentation on the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), the gas-to-energy project, the Vreed-en-Hoop Shore base project, and several discussions on local content.

Director of the Centre for Local Business Development, Dr Natasha Gaskin, will take part in a panel discussion on Women in Energy.

Day Three opens with remarks from Prime Minister, Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Phillips, whose portfolio includes responsibility for energy in Guyana.

The day closes with a panel discussion on the key themes that would have emerged throughout the conference and the way forward involving Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat and Minister with responsibility for Finance, Dr Ashni Singh.

The event is organised, and entirely privately funded by the newly formed company, International Energy Conference and Expo Inc., which is headed by Chairman, Anthony Whyte.