Difficult times provide the incentive to become more efficient through collaboration and innovation. As our industry increases its attention in heavier oils and the large reserves available in our region, timing is perfect for reaching higher levels of efficiency in the exploitation of heavy and extra-heavy oils. This conference will provide a venue for the Latin American and Caribbean petroleum industry to share knowledge, practical experiences, and lessons learned from the application of technology to increase heavy oil production and recovery while reducing development costs. The goal is to achieve production costs and levels of reliability, energy efficiency, safety, and environmental impact in the exploitation heavy and extra heavy oil fields comparable to those found in the production of major Oil & Gas projects targeting conventional resources. The conference will also serve as a venue to attract and prepare a new generation of technical and operational professionals in this challenging area.