OTC Attracts Record Crowd to Houston Event
OTC celebrates innovation with Spotlight on New Technology, recognizing 15 companies for their products.
Experts from the offshore energy industry around the world came together May 6-9 for the 2013 Offshore Technology Conference at Reliant Park in Houston. Attendance at the conference reached a 30-year high of 104,800, the second highest in show history and a 17 percent increase from last year.
Attendance surpassed the 2012 total of 89,400, and the sold-out exhibition was the largest in show history at 652,185 sq ft, up from 641,350 sq ft in 2012. The event had 2,728 companies representing 40 countries, including 244 new exhibitors in 2013.
“We had a terrific conference with deep and broad technical coverage, supported by excellent panels and executive keynote presentations,” said Steve Balint, chairman of OTC. “Technology is at the heart of the offshore industry and it was all here on display at OTC 2013.”
This year’s event featured nine panel sessions, 29 executive keynote presentations at luncheons and breakfasts and 298 technical papers. OTC’s Spotlight on New Technology recognized 15 technologies for their innovation in allowing the industry to produce offshore resources.
Governors from Texas, Alabama, Alaska, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina, representing the Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition participated on a panel discussion on offshore energy development and the need for improved cooperation between the states and the Federal government.
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell toured the exhibition floor and held a press conference where she discussed her commitment to work with industry leaders to ensure safe and environmentally responsible offshore oil and gas operations.
Energy ministers and national oil company senior executives participated on a panel where they shared their perspectives on how the industry and its partnership models should adjust to address future supply challenges and what role companies and governments should play to shape the energy future.
Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon and his wife, the Crown Princess Mette-Marit, attended the Annual OTC Dinner on Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Norway’s participation in OTC. More than 60 Norwegian companies were part of Norwegian Pavilion on the exhibit floor.
More than 100 Houston-area classroom teachers and 200 students attended the Energy Education Institute, where teachers learned how to teach scientific concepts of energy and its importance in a fun and exciting way. Participating students saw firsthand the exciting opportunities the oil and gas industry can offer.
The Annual OTC Dinner was attended by more than 1,000 industry leaders and conference attendees, and raised $250,000 for the Offshore Energy Center. OTC also presented its 2013 Distinguished Achievement Award to Ken Arnold; OTC Heritage Awards to James Brill and Dendy Sloan; and the Distinguished Achievement Award for Companies, Organizations, or Institutions to Total’s Pazflor deep offshore development at the sold-out event on the floor of Reliant Stadium. OTC 2014 takes place May 5-8, 2014, at Reliant Park.
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