The OPEC International Seminar is regarded as one of the premier events in the energy industry.

Participants customarily include Ministers from OPEC Member Countries, countries participating in the Declaration of Cooperation, and other energy producing and consuming nations, as well as heads of international organizations, executives of energy companies and financial institutions, along with other industry leaders, policymakers, experts, members of academia and journalists.

The seminars have taken various forms over the years, but they have always had a wide reach across the energy sector and beyond.

The latest in the series of seminars, which began in 2001, has provided fresh impetus to key industry issues and developed existing and new avenues of dialogue and cooperation. Insightful presentations and panel discussions have sought to move the energy debate forward, with high-calibre speakers discussing a wide range of topical issues affecting the industry, both in the short and long terms.

The seminars have increased in size and scope over the years, embracing, as time has passed, such related areas as global finance, sustainable development and the environment, and their reputation has grown steadily. While an early seminar in 1978 was attended by some 200 participants, there was nearly four times that number over three decades later in 2012. The 2023 instalment attracted more than 1,000 participants, including 17 Ministers from OPEC Member Countries and non-OPEC countries, 18 CEOs, 13 heads of international organizations and 89 journalists.

The 9th OPEC International Seminar, under the theme “Charting Pathways Together: The Future of Global Energy” will take place from 9-10 July 2025, at the historic Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria.