ICIS training launches petrochemicals course in the Middle East

Why the Middle East will become the largest petrochemical hub


London, 29 June, 2005 -- ICIS, the world's largest information
provider for the global chemical industry, launches `Petrochemicals –
A Beginners' Course' in the Middle East on 19 September. To be held
in Dubai, the course, which is intended to give an introduction to
the petrochemical industry, comes at a time when Middle East
petrochemical production investment is growing rapidly with several
major petrochemical complexes planned to be built.

Within five years, the region will account for a significant 20% of
global ethylene capacity, the building block from which many
petrochemicals are made. The attraction of the Middle East as a
production location is the abundance of low cost oil and natural
gas. Its proximity to the fast-growing markets in Asia make it a hub
for the plastics and petrochemical industries.

Aimed at newcomers to the petrochemicals industry as well as those
providing services to this sector, 'Petrochemicals – A Beginners'
Course' explains the fundamental relationship between oil/gas,
petrochemicals and the everyday products we purchase and consume.
The petrochemical business and fundamentals that drive markets are
covered, providing delegates with the tools to be able to apply
their knowledge to the bigger picture.

"ICIS training courses bring clarity and focus to often difficult
concepts and ideas," commented Christopher Flook, ICIS training
Publisher. "Our training seminars are designed for newcomers to the
industry, analysts and service providers, as well as product
specialists who want to refresh their knowledge of the big picture.
Delegates will learn about how oil and petrochemicals impact one
another as they are increasingly used in consumer production," he
said.

These introduction courses to petrochemicals are designed and
delivered by ICIS editors and reporters to provide new starters with
the tools to understand the basics from both business and technical
standpoints.

ICIS training will run this course at The Grand Hyatt, Dubai (19
September) before its successful Middle East Base Oils Conference
(20 September). There will also be an `Petrochemicals – A
Beginners' Course' in Cologne, Germany on 14 November.

Visit http://www.icis.com for further details and registration
information.

To register for the seminar, contact Sarah Barnes (email:
sarah.barnes@...,
tel: +44 (0) 20 8652 3233, fax: +44 (0) 20 8652 3482)

To discuss advertising/promotional opportunities, contact Peter
Taffe (email: peter.taffe@..., tel:+44 (0)20 8652 3090) or
Christine Wong (email: christine.wong@..., tel: +44 (0)20 8652
3186).

Notes to Editors:

ICIS is the world's largest information provider for the chemical
industry. We aim to help chemical and oil companies worldwide
increase revenues and profits by providing high-quality, business-
critical information, sales leads and brand positioning. ICIS
provides: independent chemical and oil price reporting from ICIS-
LOR; ICIS news, the real-time news service as well as facts and
analysis behind the news.

ICIS publishes market leading regional weekly publications: Asian
Chemical News, European Chemical News and Chemical Market Reporter.
See ICIS.com for the latest industry TV news broadcasts; key
business contacts and data in Who's Who in World Petrochemicals and
Plastics and the OPD Chemical Buyers Directory. ICIS also runs
numerous topical industry conferences and training courses.

ICIS is part of Reed Business Information (RBI), a division of Reed
Elsevier plc, the world's leading publisher and information
provider. RBI publishes over 100 market leading publications,
directories and online services, and organises many industry
conferences and awards. The RBI portfolio includes Computer Weekly,
Caterer & Hotelkeeper, Commercial Motor, Community Care, Estates
Gazette, Farmers Weekly, Flight International, New Scientist, Travel
Weekly, Totaljobs.com, Caterer.com, CWJobs, Estates Gazette
Interactive (EGi), ATI (Air Transport Intelligence), ICIS,
Kellysearch, Kompass UK, and Bankers' Almanac. For a full listing
visit http://www.reedbusiness.co.uk