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INTERCEM DOHA held in cooperation with the Arab Union for Cement and Building Materials (AUCBM) and Qatar National Cement (QNCC) at the end of January proved to be an outstanding success with close to 400 delegates from 50 countries in attendance.
The wholehearted cooperation and support of the entire Qatar building and construction industries, backed up by Government and institutional support, provided the perfect basis for meaningful discussions about the current status both in Qatar and in the wider MENA region.
The event started with a welcome reception sponsored by Fives FCB, held in a sold-out exhibition area which boasted all the major players in the regional cement industry and many of the international equipment and service suppliers. In fact, the 40 stands that were reserved for this event were a record number for any INTERCEM meeting.
The first morning concentrated on the economy of Qatar and its role in the supply of energy to the rest of the World. Qatar has the world’s second largest reserves of natural gas and, as a consequence, the country’s development plans are safely secured for the foreseeable future. This was followed by a look at the demand and supply patterns in the country’s cement industry and how it impacts on the construction and property development sectors.
The afternoon session looked at the prospects for The Gulf and regional cement industries with individual reviews of Saudi Arabia, Iran, the UAE and Iraq which, as expected, attracted standing only attendances in the spectacular Majlis Room at the Sheraton Doha Resort and Convention Hotel.
The Gala Dinner was held at the Al Tawash Restaurant in the middle of the newly developed Souk in central Doha. Sponsored by CTI and hosted by Nidal Miyhar, the event was a resounding success. Delegates spent a very enjoyable evening eating and relaxing in a typical Qatari restaurant surrounded by artifacts and decorations prepared by local artisans. The weather during the event was perfect and some delegates took the opportunity to use the rooftop terrace to smoke Shishah and watch the world go by in the market below.
The second day started with an interesting presentation on developments in Oman and then moved on to a first for INTERCEM, a video presentation given by regular contributor Arnaud Pinatel from his office in London. The Doha meeting coincided with a very busy reporting week for construction companies in Europe and Arnaud was unable to travel. However, the video concept worked perfectly and provided the next best thing to Arnaud in person. Also within this session various options and solutions for overcoming the present challenges were explored. This session was followed by reviews of the cement industries in India and Pakistan and their interaction with the Gulf.
Last but not least, the event was rounded off with coverage of environmental and shipping issues, plus the Technical Forum.
On the final evening, a Farewell Dinner, hosted by Qatar Building Company gave an excellent finale to those attendees who were not involved with the plant tour to the QNCC production facilities the following morning.
This exceptional and professionally-rewarding event, superbly supported by the industry not only in the Middle East but also further afield, received many plaudits for its strong programme and excellent organisation, leaving departing delegates eagerly awaiting news of our next conference in the region. |