Danube, the leader in construction, building materials and home interiors announced, Mr.Sunil Gavaskar, the ‘Cricket Legend’ as their new brand ambassador at a press conference held at Grand Hyatt.

Sunil Gavaskar or ‘Sunny’ as he is lovingly called by fans is an outstanding cricketer and legendarypening batsman for India. An epitome of discipline, dedication and determination, he is a hero for millions around the globe.

He has been awarded the Padma Bhushan for his exceptional performance in sports (cricket), and has also authored several books on cricket such as Idols, Runs and Ruins, One Day Wonders and an autobiography called ‘Sunny Days’.

The ‘Border-Gavaskar’ Trophy is instituted in his co-honor. He is a prominent television commentator and presenter and even today, stands as an inspiration to young cricketers across the globe with several records by the player being left untouched.

“We are pleased to welcome Sunil to the Danube family,” said Mr.Anis Sajan, Managing Director of Danube.

“Our association with Sunil recapitulates our plans to strengthen our market position in the region. Sunil embodies the spirit of a true sportsman and has over the years exemplified commitment, performance and consistency which perfectly match the brand values of Danube. We are extremely privileged to have partnered with him and through this association, we hope to build a strong brand connect with our customers”, he added.

“The brand’s journey to excellence is a personification of my journey to success. I love the fact that Danube as a brand stands for quality and excellence and aims to reflect the long journey it has taken to become a leading provider of building materials and home interior products across the region. I see in the company the zest to continue to be a global winner and am really excited to be its partner in the grand journey,” said Mr.Sunil Gavaskar, the new brand ambassador of Danube.

“We are proud of Danube’s progression over the last 19 years and it is heartening to see the brand celebrate another milestone. With Sunil as the brand ambassador, we aim to position the brand forward with a powerful thought that will resonate with our customers. We will continue to live up to our reputation of being providers of world-class materials by understanding the demands and requirements of our growing customers and stake holders,” concluded Mr.Adel Sajan, Director of Danube Group.

Established in Dubai 19 years ago, Danube has grown from a small trading firm in 1993 to one of the largest building materials company in the region. The company has in stock more than 25,000 products and value added services in-house and operates from its head office in Jebel Ali Free Zone. Danube retail stores have earned a strong consumer following and acceptance due to its reputation of providing customers with high quality, world class products for the home and commercial use. Danube is located in UAE, Bahrain, Muscat, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, India and China. The company also maintains key procurement office in Canada.

Danube remains steadfast in their continuous commitment towards new and innovative product offerings. All products conform to set European standards of excellence and are offered at affordable prices for its wide range of customers across the region. Danube maintains a large inventory of all its products in different warehouse facilities in the UAE.

As a brand ambassador, Sunil Gavaskar will exclusively partner Danube across the spectrum of services they offer. He will endorse Danube’s offerings through advertisements, events and personal appearances.

Consol brings IT solutions for Government, Finance, Health Care, IT and Media to the UAE

Dubai, 21st May 2012 – Consol Consulting & Solutions, the award winning Munich-based full-service IT provider, today announced their expansion into the Middle East market with the opening of their brand new Dubai office. Located in the prestigious Financial Centre district and based in the Al Fattan Tower, Consol brings over 25 years of IT solutions experience with over 200 loyal, satisfied clients including Daimler, BMW and AXA Insurance, to the rapidly emerging UAE IT market.

Consol offers bespoke software development services and industry specific solutions, designed explicitly to ease workflow processes within a company and enhance their customer’s service experiences. They have been serving the Middle East market from Germany since 2007, with their proficient bilingual team fluent in the Arabic language. After highly positive results from market research, the decision was taken to set up a local office and open Consol MENA, to better serve their current and future client’s needs.

“The move to the UAE was our obvious next choice for expansion given the remarkable steps that the local Government entities and private companies are taking to improve their customer’s service experiences and in managing or simplifying their business processes,” commented Consol MENA Managing Director, Dietrich Kanz. “We look forward to immersing ourselves fully into the local UAE culture and industries and to further strengthen the UAE market as a regional IT hub, with our exceptional service and solution portfolio.” Kanz concluded. 

Founder and CEO, Dr. Ulrich Schwanengel, established Consol in 1984, laying a strong foundation for excellence and pioneering the IT sector. “The IT industry requires a brand which goes a step further and meshes complex real world business processes into simple and unique IT solutions,” commented Consol CEO, Dr. Ulrich Schwanengel. “We understand our customers desires and create desirable solutions to add enormous value to their enterprises.” concluded Schwanengel.

For more information please contact Consol MENA on +971 4 5099099 or visit www.consol.ae .

Customised course developed with Dubai College to improve teaching skills of teachers of second language learners

Dubai, UAE, 20th May, 2012: Pearson, the world’s leading education company, has launched the ‘Fundamentals of Interactive Arabic Teaching’ (FIAT) course.

The two day course, developed by Pearson’s International Professional Development team, in close consultation with Pearson’s local trainer and Dubai College, has been designed to improve the skills of teachers of Arabic, and ultimately enhance the learning experience of their students.

Amanda Collins, Pearson’s Teacher Education Director of the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean said: “We are committed to raising standards in teaching in the Arab world. Effective teachers have the power to make a lasting, tangible difference to students’ learning experiences. This new course is designed to enhance the professional development of Arabic teachers, helping them acquire, improve and master skills that contribute to their effectiveness and that ultimately impact the success of second language Arabic learners in the region.”

Pearson has been consulting with educational institutions throughout the Gulf and wider Arab region to determine exactly what clients want when it comes to teacher training. Customers have consistently said that they require a high quality, comprehensive program adapted to the individual needs of their teachers.

Customers have noted some of the programs on offer are too basic and don’t always deliver the content in Arabic. Pearson has set about to redress these issues by offering this new course which encompasses the very latest international teaching techniques but which is also delivered by native Arabic speakers who fully appreciate the challenges these teachers face.

Research has shown that students can progress up to three times faster than their peers when placed with a high performing teacher. An investment in the professional development of teachers therefore has the potential to not only positively impact the lives of thousands of students, but to raise the standard of education at a country wide level.

Course participants are encouraged to identify the characteristics of effective language teachers through shared discussion of their own experiences in the classroom. There is also an emphasis on identifying successful elements of interactive language teaching and learning.

Amanda added: “Teachers taking the FIAT course will learn more about learning styles and will explore effective instructional approaches and activities to cater to a variety of learning styles in the Arabic classroom. They will go home with proven expertise in teaching and learning combined with a wealth of practical resources and knowledge.”

The recently launched course is part of Pearson’s commitment to deliver custom-made learning resources that drive the continuous professional development of teachers in the Arab region, and around the world.

In addition to FIAT, Pearson is developing a wide range of teaching courses in Arabic aimed at improving the skills of Arab teachers so they can offer their students more engaged and rewarding learning.

The most recent course is “Early Childhood Development”, a 30 hour program that can be delivered in either English or Arabic, aimed specifically at those working with young learners.

Peter Hill, Headmaster, Dubai College, said: “There is a growing focus in the UAE on improving the teaching of Arabic in schools. In response to this drive, our college contacted Pearson to assist in arranging a high quality course based on modern approaches. Through intensive dialogue with Pearson the course was customised to our needs.”

Sawsan Abdulhadi, Head of Arabic, Dubai College added: “What was unique about this course was the fact that it was delivered in Arabic.  This made teachers of Arabic understand course content really well and justify their points of view. The course covered a wide range of topics related to the most modern methods of interactive teaching of Arabic. A discussion followed every session to debate different themes and discuss various teaching styles. The lecturer was well-prepared and equipped with the right materials and leaflets and activities to drill certain points.”

The FIAT course has been soft-launched in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  Attendees have included teachers from the British International School Abu Dhabi, GEMS American Academy, Dubai English Speaking College, Brighton College, and the British School Al Khubairat. In addition, Aldar Academies has commissioned Pearson to deliver this course for 20 of their Arabic teachers from Al Yasmina School, Abu Dhabi.

The recent launch of the Pearson Teacher Education and Leadership Academy means that these and future Pearson courses will receive prestigious Edexcel accreditation. Edexcel provides an independent, internationally applied quality benchmark, based on five key quality indicators; learner support, resources and environment, quality management system, administrative arrangements and assessment and verification. Edexcel accreditation is a guarantee to customers that they are receiving the most up to date and innovative teaching and learning on offer, anywhere in the world.

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court and Deputy Chairman of Khalifa University Board of Trustees, Khalifa University held the UAE’s sixth Information and Communication Technology Research Forum (ICTRF2012), at its Abu Dhabi campus on May 20th, 2012.

The forum was attended by H.E. Dr. Mugheer Al Khaili, member of Khalifa University’s Board of Trustees, Mr. Dominic Jermey, British Ambassador to the UAE and attracted academics, researchers, and industry professionals from the fast growing ICT sectors in the UAE and the region.

The theme of this year’s forum focused on “Establishing a Knowledge Based Economy through ICT Research and Innovation” and included presentations from world renowned academics and industry leaders, like Professor Peter Cochrane, Chairman and Director of Cochrane Associates in the United Kingdom. Prof. Cochrane made a presentation on “Data, Meta-Data, Knowledge and Intelligence.”

Dr. Ivan Boyd, Head of Operations for the Research and Technology Department of British Telecom, presented on “UK Knowledge Economy-Skills, Infrastructure and Services.”

Professor Khaled Ben Letaif, Dean of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, spoke about “Wireless Communications: A Look into the Future.”

Professor Savo Glisic, from the University of Oulu, Finland, gave a talk on “Development Strategies and Policies for ICT Research Funds Based on National Needs and International Trends in Research and Innovation.”

The CEO of Plug and Play Tech Center in the United States, Mr. Saeed Amidi, spoke on “Building an Ecosystem like Silicon Valley,” and the Vice President of New Ventures for Mentor Graphics in the United States, Mr. Serge Leef, gave a presentation on “Success Factors for Value Creation in the Era of Technology Convergence.”

There were also three breakout sessions. “Emerging Research in the Development of a Knowledge Based Economy” was chaired by Professor Nader Azarmi, Director for EBTIC. “Infrastructure for Enabling a Knowledge Based Economy” was chaired by Khalifa University Interim Dean of Engineering, Professor Hassan Barada. The third and final session, “Value Creation from a Knowledge Based Economy” was chaired by Dr. Eesa Bastaki, CEO of the ICT Fund.

Khalifa University’s Executive Vice President and Forum Chair, Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, said, “We were pleased to host the sixth annual ICTRF. This forum offers attendees a unique opportunity to meet with leaders in the ICT field and discuss the status of the UAE’s research and education networks and future developments. I would like to extend my thanks to the guest speakers, who travelled from around the world to speak on important matters in the ICT world. There presentations were thought-provoking, insightful and inspiring.”

He added, “Events like ICTRF provide our students and faculty excellent opportunities to expand their knowledge in their fields of interest and to meet with industry leaders. Events like these are an important part of our students education.”

ICTRF2012 is co-organized by ETISALAT-BT Innovation Centre (EBTIC) and the Emirates Advanced Network for Research and Education (ANKABUT). The main patrons of the event are the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), and the ICT Fund. ICTRF2012 is sponsored by Etisalat and the Institute of Applied Technology and technically sponsored by IEEE and BCS.

MAF Investment SAL, a multimillion dollar company with a a successful investment portfolio in multiple business sectors including property development, hospitality, garments, banking, insurance and farming, has announced its participation in the upcoming Cityscape Doha 2012 exhibition

Held for the first time in Qatar, Cityscape, the most influential international real estate event will provide a platform that will highlight high growth investment opportunities, showcase innovative products and underline sustainable developments in Qatar.

Speaking on the occasion, MrsMireilleChoufany, General Manager, MAF Holding Investment SAL, said, “We are keen to be part of Cityscape Doha. Our participation will offer us the chance to be associated with a reputable event in the land of endless opportunities. At Cityscape, we will be showcasing to the public, for the first time, our luxurious Residential and Commercial project “Beb Beirut”, strategically located in Beirut’s famous Martyr’s Square. With BEB Beirut, we are moving away from generic style of development that has characterized much of the coastal developments, and are moving towards intimate and personalized homes which truly speak to a person’s inner sensibility.

Buyers always need to be selective and thorough; but probably more so when researching offshore purchases. Location, design and a track record of delivering results are key elements that must be evident before even considering a purchase. Make sure the location is one that will sustain its value over the long term, and that there is solid infrastructure in place which will allow the project to go forward and succeed and finally, make sure there are amenities and services to be provided and managed by a brand you can trust.”, Choufani said.

Beb Beirut is a new landmark living space, situated adjacent to Beirut’s famous Martyr’s Square, comprising of two monumental vertical prisms of apartments ranging between 175 and 422 square meters, two Sky Palaces of 1000 square meters each with private swimming pools, and a retail area. All the apartments are carefully designed to supply abundant natural light and ventilation, which enhances the energy efficiency of the building.

The cutting edge design of Beb Beirut was designed by Bernardo Forte Brescia, as part of a wider master plan to regenerate the heart of the town, creating a modern city that demonstrates the evolution for the better in urban planning, while keeping the ancient structures of historical value, archeological and architectural patrimony.

Beb Beirut comes with a range of services that guarantee residents’ satisfaction including 24/7 maintenance, a 24/7 multilingual concierge, a private car wash facility, a valet parking, 71 additional parking spaces dedicated to visitors, drivers’ private rest lounge, staff private rest lounge, 24-hour security and surveillance.

- Philips unveils its new revolutionary 27” wide screen Full High-Definition LED Monitor with touch controls in the Middle East Region -

Dubai, UAE, 20th May 2012: MMD (Multimedia Displays) is a wholly-owned company of TPV established in 2009 through a brand license agreement with Philips, today announced the launch of its new monitor from E-Line series, 273E3LHSB, a 27” wide screen, Full HD with touch control LED monitor in the Middle East region.

Philips 273E3LHSB is equipped with state-of-the-art LED screen technology that offers Full High-Definition widescreen resolution of 1920 x 1080p that allows the best possible picture quality from any format of HD input signal. It produces brilliant flicker-free pictures with optimum brightness and superb colors. This vibrant and sharp image will provide you with an enhanced viewing experience.

The new monitor is powered by leading edge Philips technology called SmartImage Lite that analyzes the content displayed on the screen. Based on a scenario selection, SmartImage Lite dynamically enhances the contrast, color saturation and sharpness of images and videos for ultimate display performance - all in real time with the press on a single button.

Philips advanced video processing combined with unique extreme dimming and backlight boosting technology results in vibrant images. SmartContrast increases the contrast with excellent black level and accurate rendition of dark shades and colors. It gives a bright, lifelike picture with high contrast and vibrant colors.

Touch controls are intelligent, touch sensitive icons that replace protruding buttons that lets the user adjust the monitor to their requirement. Responding to your lightest touch, touch control gives the monitor a modern feel.

Philips easy picture format control on OSD is to switch from the 4:3 aspect ratio to the widescreen mode and back again to match the display’s aspect ratio with your content for working with wide documents without scrolling or viewing widescreen media in the widescreen mode and distortion-free, native mode display of 4:3 ratio content.

Wing Wang, Product Manager - MEA & Central Asia, MMD, said, “The new 27” wide screen Full HD LED monitor with HDMI, touch control offers unique user experience especially for gamers who demand exceptional graphic quality display and flicker-free pictures. This monitor is a wholesome entertainment package with build-in stereophonic speakers, sharp picture quality, vibrant colours and dynamic contrast and excellent resolution.”

Key features for Philips 273E3LHSB:

 Panel Size: 27 inch / 68.6 cm
 Effective viewing area: 597.6(H) x 336.2(V) mm
 Aspect ratio: 16:9
 SmartResponse (typical): 1 ms (Gray to Gray)
 Response time (typical): 3.5 ms
 Brightness: 300 cd/m²
 Contrast ratio (typical): 1200:1
 SmartContrast: 20,000,000:1
 Pixel pitch: 0.311 x 0.311 mm
 Viewing angle: 178° (H) / 170° (V), @ C/R > 5
 Display colors: 16.7 M
 Signal Input: VGA (Analog ), DVI-D (digital, HDCP), HDMI
 Sync Input: Separate Sync, Sync on Green
 Audio In/Out: Headphone out, PC audio-in
 Color: Carbonite black
 Finish: Texture
 Weight: 6.5 Kg (without stand)

Pricing Warranty and availability: The price for the Philips 273E3LHSB wide screen LED monitor is US$ 349 and it comes with 3 years local warranty. The monitor is available across the Middle East and Africa region.

New fragrance developed by perfume experts from around the globe

Persil Liquid Detergent for White Thobes, the first-ever liquid detergent for White Thobes across the Middle East, announced today the launch of an all-new Oud fragrance variant. The launch of the new fragrance, the first and the only one-of-its-kind in the region, follows tremendous consumer acceptance of Persil Liquid Detergent for White Thobes since its launch last year.

The Persil Liquid Detergent has been designed exclusively to give White Thobes unmatched cleanliness and brightest whiteness wash after wash compared to any powder detergent even if mixed with bleach. Oud is part of the regional custom and GCC nationals apply Oud when wearing thobes. In line with this, Persil has launched its liquid detergent with Oud fragrance variant that has been developed by global perfume experts.

Persil Liquid Detergent conducted a consumer survey, testing 16 different fine oud fragrance options with consumers. Following this, the company decided on the winning Oud variant, preferred by 90% of consumers. Interestingly, 100% of those consumers would purchase the Oud fragrance as soon as it is launched, the survey said.

Al-Jedaie Men’s Fabric Company has also recommended using Persil Liquid Detergent for White Thobes. Moreover, based on a consumer research conducted by the company producing Persil, 90% of consumers who tried Persil Liquid Detergent for White Thobes would like to re-purchase it. This is ample testimony on the success achieved by the liquid detergent over the last one year.

An elite cooperation agreement was signed between Vivantes Berlin and the Emarati Index Global Healthcare & International Alliance based in Dubai.

The agreement was signed by Dr. Manfred Rompf, CEO of Vivantes International, Berlin and Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, Chairman of Index Global Healthcare & International Alliance in the presence of representatives from the embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Ahmed Al Hameli, Second Secretary, Head of Political and Economic Section, Mrs. Birgitta Strunk, Senate Chancellery, International Relations, Africa, Near and Middle East, City Partnerships with Istanbul and Windhuk and Mr. Houssam Maarouf, Vice President of DAFG (German Arab Friendship Association), in addition to a number of leading figures in the political and business fields.

The agreement aims to boost cooperation between the two companies to service the field of medical and healthcare services, hospital management and education. Both parties are eager to further develop health economy in the United Arab Emirates and the GCC Region.

Dr. Andreas Schmidt, General Manager of Vivantes International was pleased with this agreement and described it as a fruitful outcome of a very serious discussions and negotiations with the Emarati partners. Dr. Schmidt said: “this agreement is an outstanding opportunity for our local experts and specialists to enter the Middle East market in specific and Asia’s Markets in General. Through this partnership, we will be able to share our skilled and highly qualified medical cadres and utilize their expertise to the benefit of the region.”

“This agreement is a promising initiative for long term cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Germany in the healthcare field. It also serves as a bridge to transfer knowledge, experience and healthcare strategies.” said Nizar Maarouf, the CEO of Vivantes International GmbH.

Index Global Healthcare & International Alliance is a premiere company located in Dubai and committed to provide professional and reliable expertise to hospitals and health care institutions in the United Arab Emirates, the GCC Countries, the Middle East and North Africa Region. Index’ special field of operation is hospital management covering planning, construction, consultation, down to flawless operation including all services, e.g. catering and laundry.

Dr. Abdul Salam Al Madani, President of Index Holding praised the cooperation with Vivantes and he said: “we are keen to bring outstanding international expertise to the UAE, the GCC and the region, therefore Vivantes is an excellent partner and we are proud to be partners with a key player in the Health care field.”

Vivantes and Index Global Healthcare & International Alliance have decades of experience in the healthcare field, which goes back to more than 30 years in the field. Index Holding announced in 2010 its plans to invest more than $2 Billion in the Health care sector in the next coming 10 years.

It is well known that the United Arab Emirates is among the leading countries that promotes private sector investments and supports international investments in the health care sector in the UAE and the Region.

Dr. Al Madani also said: “For the past 30 years, Index Holding has been working diligently to enhance the healthcare sector in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates while encouraging partnerships between local and international private investors and the UAE government. Index Healthcare & International Alliance was established as a subsidiary company to develop investments in the healthcare sector. Our efforts in this respect are fully supported by the UAE government. Moreover, I would like to add that the new law of private health security system has motivated investors to get involved more and more in the health care sector.”

Vivantes Hospital Association has more than 5,000 beds in nine hospitals employs more than 1,500 physicians and has various sub-companies together with a school of nursing. Vivantes is well known across Germany and is the largest state-owned enterprise for medical and nursing education.

Index Holding has a very rich and solid history in the UAE and Dubai in particular that goes back to 1928. The company back then was specialized in tailoring & textile trading and has grown through the years to become a market leader in, Conferences and Exhibitions, Construction, Information Technologies, Transportation, Defense, Healthcare and more.

Index Holding has gained an excellent experience in managing and executing large scale Health projects in MEA region and has strong business networks and dedicated partners that helped them excel in the unlimited line of services that they provide.

At the end of the signing ceremony, Dr. Al Madani extended his gratitude to His Excellency Mohammad Ahmad Al Mahmoud, ambassador of the United Arab Emirates for his support to this initiative and also thanked the General Manager of Vivantes, the Senate Chancellery of the Governing Mayor of Berlin and all those who put an effort to make this agreement a success.

Under the patronage and directives of His Excellency Dr. Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry and Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum, QP’s Medical Services Department marked the global celebration of World Hypertension Day on Thursday, May 17.

The occasion, which was organised under the guidance of Mr. Ahmad Ali Abdulla Al-Mawlawi, Director for Administration, and Dr. Mahmood Abdul Rahman Al-Jaidah, Manager for Medical Services at QP, included a range of activities intended to further raise awareness about high blood pressure and to educate QP employees on what they could do to effectively manage the disease.

“Marking the observance of World Hypertension Day is part of the full calendar of health promotion programs that we regularly conduct throughout the year to safeguard the health of our employees and their families,” said Dr. Al-Jaidah. “We are confident that the resulting awareness on hypertension and its health effects would go a long way in our continued efforts to address this preventable disease.”

First launched in 2005, World Hypertension Day is an initiative of the World Hypertension League (WHL), a Canada-based organization that was founded in 1984. The WHL is currently made up of 95 member organizations, consisting mainly of hypertension societies from all over the world. For this year’s celebration of World Hypertension Day, the WHL had selected the theme, “Healthy Lifestyle - Healthy Blood Pressure,” to highlight the importance of good health habits in preventing or controlling the disease.

In line with this, among the activities organized last Thursday by QP’s Medical Services Department was a hypertension screening program at the corporation’s Centre for Health & Wellness along C-Ring Road. A large number of QP personnel who were based in Doha participated in the program, and they also attended the health awareness presentations and counselling sessions conducted by the corporation’s medical doctors, pharmacists and dieticians.

In the run up to this year’s World Hypertension Day, the department conducted an intensive information campaign not only to announce the event but also to provide important information about high blood pressure to all QP employees. The information campaign explained what hypertension is all about, how it can affect the body, and how it is diagnosed.

QP’s Medical Services Department also provided tips on the proper way to take a blood pressure reading and on the measures that everyone can do to prevent hypertension. The latter include maintaining an ideal body weight, quitting smoking, being physically active, as well as eating the right diet, such as daily servings of fruits and vegetables and foods that have low sodium content.

The two-day strategic networking event is set to examine water conservation solutions in the oil & gas industry

Dubai, 19 May, 2012 - The CWC Group, a leading events company focused on energy and infrastructure issues, will hold its inaugural Global Water: Oil & Gas Summit on May 22 & 23 at the Mina A’Salam Hotel in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai.

“This event combines two vital topics – energy production and water conservation, and we are proud to receive the Royal Patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum,” said H. Frederic Ponton, CWC Group’s Director of Government Relations – Middle East.

Under the theme “Water Solutions for the Oil & Gas Industry,” the summit will feature many of the oil and gas industry’s foremost experts as they examine best-practices and new technologies focused on water conservation and efficiency during energy production. The event will provide a platform for top-level industry executives to exchange innovative ideas and form strategic partnerships focused on water conservation.

“Energy production is a water-intensive process,” said Shane White, Senior Producer of CWC Group. “Water is a valuable resource and we’re exploring methods to use it more effectively, both from an environmental standpoint and as a means to save costs and boost production efficiency.”

The first day of the summit will kick-off with a session assessing new water treatment technologies, such as Forward Osmosis and Self-Contained Evaporation, which mitigate costs and improve production. The afternoon sessions will focus on successful water management models and methods for recycling water and reducing water usage footprints during oil and gas production.

The summit will continue on Wednesday with a session hosted by IDA dedicated to comparing the costs of various water treatment processes and highlighting the effectiveness of desalination in oil and gas operations throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The day’s events will continue with a session analysing water usage regulations affecting the oil and gas industry and how particularly water-intensive procedures, such as extracting oil from mature fields, can be efficiently managed. The summit will conclude with a session hosted by DOW Water & Process highlighting their innovative solutions for increasing the amount of crude oil that can be extracted from existing fields while managing limited water availability.

“We have brought together some of the industry’s leading experts,” said Shane White. “Our panels are comprised of senior-level representatives from companies such as Saudi Aramco, Shell International, ConocoPhillips and ENOC along with leading university academics, key government representatives and even experts from NASA. The summit will highlight best-practices for water usage in the oil and gas industry by using proven methods and featuring international case studies. Industry stakeholders from around the world will come away with a thorough understanding of the issues and proven solutions and useful contacts so they can move their operations forward. ”

The CWC Group has partnered with UAE Ministry of Environment & Water, Dubai’s Supreme Council of Energy and the Government of Dubai to organise the event and is receiving support from Global Water Intelligence, the International World Water Council, International Desalination Association and the Produced Water Society.