Dave Bronconnier, the Mayor of Calgary, cemented his city’s growing friendship with Qatar by presented Minister Al-Sada with a white cowboy hat.

20th WPC Organizing Committee Launches North American Campaign

Doha, 13 June 2010 - A high level delegation from Qatar representing the organizing committee of the 20th World Petroleum Congress (20WPC) was in Calgary, Canada, 8-10 June, to attend the Global Petroleum Show (GPS) and officially present the North American launch of the 20WPC, which will be hosted by Qatar Petroleum in Doha in December 2011.

The Qatar delegation was led by H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of State for Energy & Industry Affairs and Vice Chairman of the Higher Organizing Committee for the 20th WPC. The delegation included 20WPC Organizing Committee Chairman Abdulla Salatt , Vice Chairman Issa Al-Ghanim, Committee Member Dr. Nabeel Salem, Committee Secretary Dr. Ramzi Salman, 20WPC Project Director Reda Ali and Mohammed Abdulla Al-Sailani, Director, Office of Minister of State for Energy & Industry Affairs.

The Canadian National Committee of the World Petroleum Council hosted a dinner to honor the presence of the delegation from Qatar on the 10th anniversary of Calgary’s successful hosting of the 16th WPC.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic turnout of Canadian government officials and industry leaders. Ed Stelmach, the Premier of Alberta, announced his government’s intention to forge closer relationships between the province of Alberta and Qatar and confirmed his personal attendance at 20WPC in Doha next year.

Dr Randy Gossen, the President of the World Petroleum Council, commemorated the day ten years earlier when Calgary played host to 4,400 guests from around the world for the 16th WPC and congratulated the Qatari organizers on their impressive work so far in the preparation of the 20th Congress.

H.E. Dr. Al-Sada in a brief speech pointed to the strong and growing relationship between the two countries, especially in the energy sector, H.E. thanked Alberta’s government for its hospitality during his visit and expressed his hope that everyone present would attend 20WPC.

In a presentation to guests, Issa Al-Ghanim addressed the role of Qatar as a key player in the energy industry, beginning with the early stages of oil exploration in the 1930s going through present achievements and into the future where Qatar will reach its planned output of 77 million tons per annum of LNG production.

A presentation by Reda Ali generated a lot of interest from the audience. The 20WPC Project Director revealed some details of the Committee’s plans for the event and showed videos of the world class venue and facilities that would greet delegates at this world class congress. He also announced that 85% of the 35,000 square metre exhibition space has already been sold.

20WPC Organizing Committee Chairman Abdullah Salatt thanked the Canadian National Committee for their support of WPC20 and for sharing their experiences of hosting the event 10 years earlier.

During their visit to Calgary the delegation also visited the 20th WPC exhibition stand at the GPS, where the first edition of the 20WPC printed newsletter - WPC EXPLORE - was unveiled.

Printed on recycled paper in line with the 20WPC sustainability and social responsibility commitment, it contains 20WPC news, features on Qatar energy and interviews with industry leaders, including Qatar’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Energy & Industry H.E. Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah.