Open Room - PetroForum Singapore 2012

Oil company delegates from 14 countries across Asia Pacific and the Middle East converged at the Shangri La’s tranquil Rasa Sentosa Resort on the edge of the city, to meet with supplier companies from around the world.  The event provided an intense two days of pre-arranged meetings and informal networking, and a platform from which new international relationships could be forged.

Netherlands-based Bever Innovations was the Forum’s Gold Partner, and CEO, Remko Delfgaauw, who gave a presentation on the LED Revolution at the opening conference on the first day, described his company’s partnership at the event as “a golden opportunity”.   He continued, “PetroForum Asia Pacific is for us the bi-yearly key event to meet up with high quality decision-makers from the petrol retail world in this region.  This year’s event once more proved its unique quality.  We went home with a lot of new ideas, enriched by new relationships we have started or existing ones which are deepened.  It’s superb value for money for any supplier who wants to grow their business in this part of the world.”

The conference also featured case studies from three international suppliers, an Australian perspective from ACAPMA, and finished up with a truly inspiring account of conquering Everest from a Singaporean local.

The Forum’s trio of silver partners were Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Tokheim and Leighton O’Brien.  Chris Cooper at Gilbarco Veeder-Root said, “The forum gave us an opportunity to spend some quality time with some of our key customers and prospects and enabled us to build relationships outside of the confines of their offices.”

Days two and three saw the main event – OpenRoom’s distinctive speed-meetings program – which allowed for over a thousand business meetings between 48 oil companies and just under 100 supplier delegates, cementing PetroForum’s reputation as the place to network and do business.  Michael Hollows at Pacific Petroleum, an oil company new to the event commented, “I really liked the format of 20-minute one-on-one meetings and got a lot of value from it.”  Oil companies attending included, Pertamina, PETRONAS, Petrolimex, Petron, Shell, 7-Eleven Australia, Total, ADNOC, Chevron and Essar.  Jasmin Abrena at Shell Asia said, “I am already following up with suppliers just three days later” – a level of enthusiasm which was not lost on FleetCor’s Alistair Clarke who noted that there was “a very committed set of Oil Companies.”

The supplier line-up was truly global with offerings from 21 countries around the world and some of the best suppliers in the business in attendance including, ARTELIA, Bever Innovations, ELAFLEX, Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Hectronic, KSS Fuels, Leighton O’Brien, MEKSER, Planova, Scheidt & Bachmann, Subway, Tokheim, Wayne and Wincor Nixdorf.  “We have been introduced to many new supplier companies around the world - and expect some of them to become our partners” said Ngo Sy Tuan Anh at Petrolimex Vietnam.

Feedback has been resoundingly positive, underlining the USP of the event: an efficient platform for creating new business.  Jacques Williams of Berry’s Technologies commented, “I was a little sceptical as to the effectiveness of this type of event, but I couldn't have been more wrong; the contacts we made and the potential for future sales was more than we could have hoped for!”  And from Fifinaz Nareeman of Petronas: “It has certainly been beneficial.”