The province’s oil and gas sector has taken another punch to the gut as Noia’s annual conference and exhibition has officially been cancelled.
Noia’s 2020 conference was originally scheduled for June, but was postponed until September due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in hopes that they would still be able to put off what is their biggest moneymaker.
Consultant and oil and gas veteran, Rob Strong says the conference has been a showcase for Newfoundland and Labrador since approximately 1983, attracting some 800 to 1,000 delegates each year from all over the world.
Strong says without the conference, the province is missing exposure and the opportunity to listen to operators and their plans for future developments.
(Rob Strong.)
He says they’re also missing the opportunity to mingle with fellow businesses and people and those who come from away.
Strong explains how the loss of the conference has an impact on more than just the oil and gas business.
He says it will have an impact on hotels, taxis, restaurants, audio and visual companies, printing and more, causing a significant loss of revenue. Unfortunately, Strong says COVID-19 is causing that problem for everyone across the globe.
