21 November 2011, Dubai, UAE: The first Heavy Oil Conference and Exhibition (HOCE), organised by the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), will take place 12−14 December 2011 at Hilton Kuwait Resort, Kuwait. HOCE is one of very few events in the Middle East that will be entirely focused on heavy oil. The event will have a worldwide scope, with a special interest in the Middle Eastern region, catering to the needs of the regional and global framework.

Hosnia Hashim, Deputy Managing Director−North, Kuwait Oil Company and Chairperson of HOCE said, "Oil and gas companies are looking more and more to non-conventional resources such as heavy oil to meet increasing energy demands. The once expensive but abundant resource is quickly becoming a feasible alternative". She added "At HOCE with over 40 technical presentations, the full range of heavy oil technologies, case histories, and best practices will be delivered by experts from Canadian Natural Resources, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, Kuwait Oil Company, Schlumberger, Total, and more."

The conference highlights include an executive plenary session titled "Leading the Oil Industry for a Sustainable Development of Heavy Crude", two panel sessions titled "Heavy Oil: Learnings and Opportunities" and "Heavy Oil: The Cutting Edge of New Technology and Bridging the Gap", a one-day training course about enhanced oil recovery and an education day. All delegates attending also stand a chance to win a 32GB iPad 2 which will be raffled off on the last day of the event during the luncheon.

The exhibition runs alongside the conference in a 1,000 sq. metre area with representation from companies like Al Zahem International, Baker Hughes, Chevron, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and Subsidiaries, Regent Energy Group, Schlumberger, Total, Zenith Oilfield, and more. They aim to showcase the latest technologies, equipment, tools, and services offered internationally for heavy oil development.

HOCE sponsors include Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and Subsidiaries (Titanium Sponsor), Baker Hughes, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Total (Platinum Sponsors), WorleyParsons (Gold Sponsor), Kuwait Energy and Madagascar Oil (Silver Sponsors), BP (Gala Dinner Sponsorship), Canadian Natural Resources Limited (Exclusive Luncheon Sponsor), Halliburton (Delegate Bags Sponsor), and Schlumberger (Lanyards Sponsor).

The official media supporter for this event is ArabianOilandGas.com, and DEW Journal is the media supporter.

For more information, please visit www.spe.org/events/hoce.

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About HOCE
SPE Heavy Oil Conference and Exhibition is a highly focused event that will discuss in detail aspects related to heavy crude; the opportunities associated with its exploration and production, the challenges faced in this process and the environmentally friendly recovery techniques of this asset.

The event will deal with technical and economical challenges related to this increasingly sought-after resource in the Middle East. The means of developing this unexplored asset and the optimum means of marketing it will also be covered in this exceptional event.

About SPE
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a not-for-profit professional association whose members are engaged in energy resources development and production. SPE serves more than 97,000 members in 118 countries worldwide. SPE is a key resource for technical knowledge related to the oil and gas exploration and production industry and provides services through its publications, events, training courses, and online resources at www.spe.org.

Contact:
SPE:
Yarah S. Moharam
Tel.: +971.4.457.5800    
Email: ymoharam@spe.org 

© Press Release 2011