Director General of the World Petroleum Council checked how St. Petersburg is preparing for the Future Leaders Forum 2019
The first working trip of the Director General of the World Petroleum Council Dr. Pierce Riemer to St. Petersburg was successfully completed. Within a few days he got acquainted with the infrastructure, the main exhibition and forum areas and the sights of the city, which in June 2019 will host the 6th Future Leaders Forum of the WPC.

The intensive program of the visit included meetings and discussions with representatives of municipal authorities, heads of educational institutions and organizations involved in the preparation of the Forum. Pierce Riemer was accompanied by the Director of Communications of the World Petroleum Council Ulrike von Lonski and the Director of the Russian National Committee of the World Petroleum Council Vlada Streletskaya.

Youth forums held by the World Petroleum Council every three years are among the most significant and representative events. It is expected that the 6th Future Leaders Forum will bring together about 2,000 young specialists from the oil and gas industry from dozens of countries, as well as key players in the modern energy industry. The success of the event will be mostly determined by the selection and preparation of the business program sites, the level of reception and accommodation of delegations, the content and organization of the cultural program. The program of General Director’s visit was focused on studying and discussing precisely these issues.

One of the key events of the trip was the meeting of the delegation of the World Petroleum Council with the leadership of the Congress and Exhibition Bureau, which is part of the St. Petersburg Tourism Development Committee. The General Director of the Congress Bureau Andrei Matsarin informed in detail Pierce Riemer and his entourage about the possibilities of St. Petersburg to receive, host and organize the stay of the Future Leaders Forum participants. Particular attention was paid to visa support for foreign guests, security and transport logistics.

“In general, we are satisfied with the explanations received and the readiness of local authorities for a constructive dialogue. It is very important that the topics that require the most careful attention are agreed upon, and an algorithm for further joint work is defined, “said Ulrike von Lonski, Director of Communications of the WPC. In the near future, decisions should be taken to select sites for business events of the Future Leaders Forum – 2019. Therefore, the delegation of the World Petroleum Council, with a visit to the sites, studied the features and possibilities of the ExpoForum, Lenexpo and the Mining University.

During a long and thorough conversation between Pierce Riemer and the Rector of the St. Petersburg Mining University, the member of the Organizing Committee of the 6th Future Leaders Forum, Vladimir Litvinenko a wide range of issues related to the preparation and holding of the youth forum was discussed. V. Lytvynenko assured the guest that if the Mining University was chosen as the main forum venue, all resources would be mobilized that would allow the event to be held at a high organizational level. The delegation of the World Petroleum Council also visited Peterhof, the Konstantinovsky Palace and a number of other sites proposed for inclusion in the cultural program of the international youth forum of young specialists.

“The visit was impressive. St. Petersburg, indeed, has rich opportunities and has extensive experience in providing work of representative business events. It is especially valuable that in St. Petersburg we felt a sincere interest in our Forum and the desire to make it a bright, unforgettable event “, Pierce Riemer, Director General of the World Petroleum Council summed up the first results.