Human interface appreciated at PetroForum

Fuel retailers from across Africa and suppliers to the industry met for two days of intense pre-arranged business meetings and informal networking. Kicking off with a conference on the first day, presentations came from Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Engen Petroleum and Reliance Industries, and rounded off with an inspiring talk from Cape Town local and adventurer extraordinaire, David Grier.

"I found the format to be spot-on - it was an effective use of time. To see this number of suppliers would normally take up weeks of time management. I have gathered much useful information and have met a lot of new suppliers that we will have co-operation with in the future," said Uchechukwu Osuoji, Procurement Manager at MRS.

The unique time-saving element of the event's format was also noted by supplier, Richard Abrams of KSS Fuels. "The event had very high take-home value for us. Your ability to gather so many petroleum retailers from all over Africa in one location for rapid-fire meetings is a great benefit to our company."

Partnering the event were Gilbarco Veeder-Root (Gold Partner), and Petrotec, First African Holdings and Bever Innovations (Silver Partners). The high profile of PetroForum was clearly valuable to the sponsors. Wynand van Zyl, of First African Holdings noted, "The Silver Partnership raised our profile, and was certainly worth it. Even some of our current clients now view us in a different light."

Oil companies, large and small benefited from the event including local oil companies. Caltex Eastern Cape said, "The exposure to new technologies is invaluable and already there are immediate gains." And Elegant Fuel added "You have afforded me and my company an excellent opportunity; truly I cannot put a price on that."

Multi-nationals Vivo Energy said, "It was a great opportunity to meet various suppliers and has certainly been of value" and Puma added, "The three days invested were well worth it in so many ways, new suppliers, new technology, new ideas."

Newcomer to the PetroForum format, Henk Stander at Stowe commented, "I was a bit apprehensive on what return to expect on our financial investment, but in my opinion it was worth every cent. Not only did I meet many new brands and people, but I also had the opportunity to re-kindle relationships with existing customers, suppliers and associates."

As Cristobal Lopez of Bertotto Boglione said, "Each PetroForum is better than the last."

The next PetroForum will take place in Dubai, 10-11 September 2013 for the Middle Eastern market.