"Beautiful memories tell our story and wrap themselves in ribbons of the heart" ~Flavia Cacace.
December 27, 2003 was an important and special day for me as post-lunch I had to deliver a forty-minute presentation at the 2003 Inspection Technical Exchange Meeting which took place at the Dammam Aramco Office Auditorium. The theme of the Technical Exchange Meeting was “Heading for Better Future through Inspection Novel Solutions.” It was an honour for me to address such a large gathering from all over the company and share my knowledge and technical know-how.
Dammam Office Building & Auditorium
Before being confirmed as a speaker at the event, I went through a selection screening by submitting an abstract titled “Safety Relief Valve Maintenance Practices.” Upon being informed that my abstract had been chosen, the selection committee then asked me to prepare and submit the full presentation for review. For me, the actual challenge would be meeting the deadline while also performing my routine work.
I was jubilant about the selection and informed my business line management along with colleagues, community friends and my family. Everyone was happy for me and wished me luck.
From the bottom of my heart, I am thankful to Meshal A. Al-Anazi, the coordinator of this event for his support and encouragement. Honestly speaking, it was my first experience. Never before had I been asked to address such a large gathering from all over the company, including employees from Inspection, Operations, Maintenance, and Engineering Departments as well as Contractors' management personnel.
To give you an idea of my presentation and the equipment I was speaking about, the following photo is a screenshot from my presentation and depicts me testing a Safety Relief Valve,
After preparing by practicing day and night, I memorized the presentation and felt it would be a piece of cake if one didn't account for stage fright and the practice of making eye-contact with the audience. The toughest part for me would be the question and answer session. In preparation, I read through the following Saudi Aramco documents: Engineering Procedures, Engineering Standards, Instruction Manuals. As well as the International Standards, American Petroleum Institute (API), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and National Board (NB) standards as well.
Here, I share an image of the meeting agenda which I have kept in a file for years as a nice memory:
The event was extraordinarily successful. All speakers and organizers were recognized for being part of a value-added event. I received the following certificate of appreciation at a grand dinner hosted at the Meridian Hotel Al-Khobar:
It is a known fact that the Inspection Department is the backbone of an oil Industry as it runs the plants safely and economically. I conclude my article with an Arthur Bloch quote “A failure will not appear until a unit has passed final inspection.”