January 2021, Vol. 248, No. 1
Features
World Petroleum Congress on Track One Year Out
With slightly less than one year to go until the opening day, momentum continues to build behind the 23rd World Petroleum Congress (WPC), which looks set to continue into 2021.
Even in the face of both the global COVID-19 pandemic and global market volatility, 2020 has been a year of progress, with new sponsors and partners coming on board, as well as the launch of new initiatives that would have been impossible to foresee 12 months ago.
Presenting Sponsors Chevron, Halliburton, Accenture, Hess Corporation, ExxonMobil, BP, Qatar Petroleum, Baker Hughes, Saudi Aramco and ConocoPhillips, and Premier Sponsors Schlumberger, BHP, and Weatherford have all reconfirmed their commitment to the Congress.
Deloitte has signed on as an Elite Sponsor of the Congress. Deloitte’s global Energy, Resources and Industrials practice leverages deep industry knowledge to provide perspectives and integrated solutions to the upstream and downstream oil and gas sectors, among others. This will be the fifth Congress that Deloitte has participated in as a sponsor or exhibitor in the past 15 years.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) has also joined as Supporting Partner, taking its place alongside National Oilwell Varco. API represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry with more than 600 members that produce, process and distribute most of the energy in the United States.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Energy will also join the lineup, as a major exhibitor in the Global Business Opportunities Center of the Congress exhibition.
Pipeline & Gas Journal is a media partner of the World Petroleum Congress, along with fellow Gulf Energy Information publications World Oil, Petroleum Economist, Hydrocarbon Processing and Gas Processing & LNG.
“Despite strong headwinds this year, we are on course to deliver a safe, world-class, global event 12 months from now,” said Jeff Shellebarger, chairman of the 23rd World Petroleum Congress Organizing Committee (WPCOC), which organized the event. “I look forward to welcoming our delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and partners to Houston for a week of varying perspectives from energy decision-makers and experts, a unique exhibition, and the opportunity to connect with energy professionals from around the world.”
The health and safety of the 23rd WPC participants remains the number one priority, WPCOC said. With registration due to open in the first quarter of 2021, it is taking a number of steps to mitigate risks.
As well as monitoring evolving data and guidance from U.S. authorities and international healthcare bodies, the WPCOC is also closely collaborating with the Congress venue, the George R. Brown Convention Center (GRBCC), to ensure that the most up-to-date best practices will be followed.
The convention center has added safety measures within the facility and is currently in the process of completing Global Biorisk Advisory Council Star certification. The GRBCC and official Congress hotels are also participating in the “Houston Clean” program, an initiative committed to sanitation provisions that mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and instill confidence via hygiene surety at events, venues and hotels throughout the city.
The WPCOC recently launched WPC Spotlight, a series of online conversations with thought leaders from around the world. The moderated discussions provide insights into the many types of innovative solutions that will shape the future of energy. The series will run throughout 2021 with the second in the series due to air in February 2021.
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