More than 260 local and international companies took part in the event that brought technical experts, professionals and decision-makers in the oil and gas industry to Dhahran.
The three-day exhibition also saw the signing of a deal on water and oil swell packers between Halliburton, the world's second largest oilfield services company, and the Eastern Province-based Abdulla Fouad Holding Co.
The agreement was signed by Abdulla Fouad Holding Co. chief Faisal Abdulla Fouad and Henry Longden of Halliburton Saudi Arabia.
Later in the day, Adel A. Aloumi, director general of Dhahran International Exhibitions Co. (DIEC), distributed awards of excellence to some of the exhibiting companies. The Best Stand Design Award went to Inma Trading, the Best Stand Innovation Award to the Chinese company Sinopec, and the Best Technical Content Award went to Qatar Petroleum.
Aloumi said the huge participation at the exhibition indicated Saudi Arabia's crucial role in world energy affairs. "The Kingdom plays a major role in the world's oil and gas sector, as it holds one quarter of global reserves of oil and gas. The strong and positive demand by overseas companies is a clear indication of the recognition of the importance of SAOGE 2010 as one of the significant exhibitions of its kind in the region."
Piero Zipoli, president of the International Exhibition Services, said SAOGE 2011 will be on an even bigger scale. "Every year we have had to add extra space to accommodate demand from participating companies. We created a record of sorts this time. As promised this was the biggest and best show in terms of company participation and the number of visitors. We will take it to the next level in 2011."
