ABERDEEN, Scotland, 7 September 2007 — More than 30,000 oil and gas professionals from around the world meet this week at the Offshore Europe Conference and Exhibition, and emerging technologies are taking the spotlight as the industry considers the future.

“We are here to talk about how we will produce the next trillion barrels of oil,” Halliburton board chairman, president and CEO David Lesar told delegates at the conference’s opening session, and both the conference and exhibition looked forward toward maximizing returns from mature reservoirs as well as developing new fields with significant advancements from exploration to production.

Among the more than 1,500 exhibitors displaying were most of the oil majors along with oil giant Saudi Aramco, which is taking the lead in development of several new technologies, from geo-seismic exploration and reservoir monitoring to multilateral drilling and “smart” wells. Saudi Aramco is developing thousands of young Saudi employees to take leadership roles in the company, but the global player also is looking for industry professionals from around the world to augment its work force.

“This is the largest conference of its kind, and we’re looking for people who can make a difference for Saudi Aramco,” said Abdulhadi A. Al-Mansouri, supervisor of the Staffing Services Unit of Aramco Overseas Co. B.V., a Saudi Aramco subsidiary based in Leiden, The Netherlands.

The Saudi Aramco exhibit had many visitors throughout the exhibition, and many aspects of Saudi culture were highlighted along with the company’s massive mega projects designed to increase oil, gas and petrochemical feedstock production at a time when other companies are devising ways to maintain existing production.

“A lot of the newer technologies that are being used in Saudi Aramco are making us more attractive than a lot of other companies, particularly in combination with the challenging work, continuous learning and the competitive package we offer,” said Jeroen Romein, a drilling and engineering recruiter. “The kind of exposure you can get to new technologies in-house at Saudi Aramco, I don’t think you can get elsewhere.”

Although many visitors came with resumes, eager for jobs, Romein said they were looking for team players anxious to work shoulder-to-shoulder with the company’s growing Saudi work force.

“We’ve been getting a lot of interest from people with five to seven years of experience,” he said. “The ideal candidates are those people who can train other people in Saudi Aramco — people who show the capacity to work with these new technologies and who are capable of sharing that knowledge with the next generation.” “Finding good talent is a challenge right now,” said Mustafa A. Jalali, vice president of Saudi Aramco Affairs.

“When oil demand is high, exploration and production increase around the world, and oil demand is high right now. Even Saudi Arabia, with billions of dollars of mega projects, is putting a strain on things. But these are not factors that are going to hamper our ability to deliver. This is not just an issue for Saudi Arabia but for consumers around the world, and none of these challenges is going to stop us from providing — and increasing — our reliable supply of petroleum.”

Jalali noted that Saudi Aramco is focusing on the future, ensuring that the company’s Saudization efforts continue to increase, demonstrating both quality and success.

“Career development is probably the most important area of the company right now,” Jalali said. “We are taking leaps and bounds, and even young Saudi women are being sent overseas for advanced studies. This is a first for the country, and it’s opening a whole new world of possibilities.”

For some visitors, it was a chance to dispel some misconceptions about the Kingdom.

“Many people have said that they were surprised to find out that Saudi Arabia is such a nice place,” said Huda A. Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi Aramco public relations representative working at the exhibition. “I think we have a lot more in common than people realize.”

Offshore Europe concludes today, but plans already are under way for the next conference, which returns to Aberdeen in 2009.