The Anniversary Exhibition will take place at Vienna's historic Kursalon on 20-29 September 2010. It will celebrate the rich cultural offerings of the Organization's 12 Member Countries - Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The exhibition will also feature the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the city of Vienna.

A formal opening ceremony will launch the nine-day extravaganza on the evening of Monday, 20 September, between 5.30pm and 7.30pm. In attendance will be the OPEC Secretary General, Abdalla Salem El-Badri, the Austrian Minister for European and International Affairs, Dr Michael Spindelegger, the representative of the Mayor of Vienna, Dr Elisabeth Vitouch, who is President of the European Affairs Commission of the Vienna City Council, Ambassadors of OPEC Member Countries, Members of the OPEC Board of Governors and Management, the Director-General of the OPEC Fund for International Development, and other Heads of international organizations in Austria.

The ceremony will include the unveiling of a special Anniversary stamp produced by the Austrian Post to mark the occasion. The unveiling will be performed by Dr Georg Pölzl, Director-General of Österreichische Post AG. There will also be performances from a Vienna-based Venezuelan musical group and an operetta group from Vienna.

Throughout the week - daily from 10am to 8pm - Member Countries, as well as OFID and the City of Vienna, will stage cultural activities, and it is expected that thousands of people from inside and outside Vienna will engage with traditional music, dance routines and fashion shows, as well as taking the opportunity to sample unfamiliar cuisines and build relationships with Member Country nationals from different continents. These performances will begin daily at 12 noon.

OPEC was founded in Baghdad, Iraq, in September 1960. The exhibition is just one of many activities being held to celebrate the year-long OPEC Golden Jubilee. The Organization has already hosted an international quiz competition for Member Country and Austrian