Since its inception in 1994, the Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition series – or, “GEO,” as it is better known – has grown to become the main geosciences event in the Middle East Region and beyond, providing a platform for knowledge sharing, exchange and dissemination as well as an excellent opportunity to interact with major upstream companies, service providers and academia.
The GEO Executive Committee made the decision to postpone the event to Oct. 4-7, 2021 in response to the global spread of COVID-19. Since then, GEO committees have been working tirelessly to ensure the delivery of the highest standards for the GEO conference, even during these extraordinary times. The postponement of GEO to October 2021 has provided us with a great opportunity to further enrich the program with interesting themes related to the impact of the ongoing pandemic. Proving our resilience by keeping our community engaged despite the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19, GEO now delivers online webinars on various technical topics at no cost. These online webinars proved to be successful and attracted audiences from around the world.
COVID-19 has hit the world with the ultimate black swan, sending ripples of disruptions all over the world and especially the oil and gas industry. Since then, the landscape has drastically changed, where high-cost oil and gas operators are challenged for more efficient cost structures in order to survive. In response to looming recessions and a diving demand for energy, our industry has once again reacted intelligently and responsibly to balance the market in order to ensure a sustained supply of energy to the globe. Just like it reacted to the 2014 oil glut, the industry has proven its flexibility to overcome challenges and embrace new realities
Recovering from a challenging year, the petroleum industry faces new and unprecedented challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic and a historic low in oil prices. The upcoming GEO spotlights the evolution of different aspects of geosciences in view of the rapid changes happening across the energy landscape. The events of the year demonstrated the importance of technological advancements and how adapting these technologies saved a wide range of businesses in the difficult environment.
Features Offered at GEO 2021
The technical program is centered on the conference theme, “Geosciences in an Era of Transformation: A New Landscape,” and covers a wide spectrum of applications in the petroleum industry and other sectors reliant on geosciences. It aims share the latest research and technological advancements to stimulate discussions on advances in geoscience workflows, developments in geological and geophysical data acquisitions, unconventional resources, best practices and efficiencies, unique case studies, big data and data analytics, multidisciplinary concepts and the applications of geosciences to mining, hydrology and the environment.
There is a strong emphasis on the relevance of current and future technologies and how these shape our approaches to acquiring and using vast amounts of data, in evaluating play concepts and conducting operations – ultimately impacting and transforming the petroleum business as a whole. It provides an outlook on how we embrace the changes and adapt to the challenges around us in terms of science and technology, economy and profitability, environment and social responsibilities.
In addition to the technical papers, GEO offers special technical sessions and a number of exciting geological field trips to different areas across the Region to study outcrops of importance to different exploration and development projects.
The GEO exhibition is the premier showcase of oil and gas exploration technology and services in the Middle East attracting national oil companies, independent oil companies and major operating companies. The 2021 GEO will introduce new and exciting features: rhe Start Up Village, Meet the Experts, Core Display and the Pop-Up King Abdulaziz University Museum of Minerals and Rocks are some of the many additions we have planned for October 2021.
YP/Student Program
The Young Professionals and Student Support committee created a rich program for sponsored students and fellow young professionals. More than 100 university students, 100 educators and volunteers and 200 high school students will experience an unparalleled program prepared by the YPSS committee. The YPSS program includes soft skills and technical courses, field trips, core workshops, and networking event Meet and Greet where students and YPs get to exchange knowledge and experience with prominent industry leaders and experts. The YPSS program also includes a dedicated plenary session on life after school, an Energy4Me program for high school students and several inspiring competitions.
Also, with the postponement of GEO to October 2021, the YPSS committee created an engaging virtual program to reach out to the greater YPSS community via free online webinars and training opportunities.
GEO is a venue to learn from the latest industrial advancements and capture new opportunities for better value creation. It is indeed a look to the future on how we embrace and adapt to the changes around us in terms of science and technology, economy and profitability, environment and social responsibilities. It is a great networking platform for industry leaders, experts, young professionals and students. We encourage you to support and contribute to the scientific community by actively participating in GEO and we look forward to seeing you all in Bahrain in October 2021.