The Arabian Gulf Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI-AGC) has opened its 13th annual international conference.

The three-day event, at the Gulf Convention Centre, Gulf Hotel, is being held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

Delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony, Works Minister Essam Khalaf said the event comes at a time when Bahrain is poised to enter a high-tech era in the matter of infrastructure development.

'Several very high-profile projects are being planned and many are already underway,' the minister said.

'We are doing all this as the infrastructure development arm of the government of Bahrain and will deliver on all our promises,' he said.

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Nazar Al Baharna, who also addressed the gathering, said project management is not just about overseeing the construction of roads and railway links or buildings.

'In today's world, every job is compartmentalised to focus on different aspects and we develop strategies to link all these compartments into an organic whole,' he added.

He said that in the Middle East, the project landscape is changing which translates into increased opportunities for project managers in the region.

'As the region moves from its concentration on oil and gas sectors to new private sector areas and expanded public sector infrastructural support, there will undoubtedly be many new projects in the pipeline.'

PMI-AGC president Mohammed Hammad said the theme of the conference, Delivering Value through Project Management - Lessons Learned from the Boom and Bust Cycles, was carefully crafted to emphasise the importance of lessons learned from boom and bust cycles to enhance the value of projects through adopting innovative and collaborative approaches.

'This event serves as a forum for project management practitioners, engineers, planners, academicians and management to interact, share their experiences, improve their knowledge and showcase their projects and best practices,' he added.-TradeArabia News Service