Oil producers made history last year for making the United States a net oil exporter. That achievement, combined with the prediction that the U.S. will be energy-independent within the next few years, will give American attendees of this year’s Offshore Technology Conference (OTC19) much to plan for. Their international partners and competitors will be there, too. Among the total 65,000-plus OTC19 attendees will be representatives of more than 40 national oil companies and more than 100 integrated and independent oil companies.
Because executives from these companies will use OTC19 to exchange ideas advancing scientific and technical knowledge, their technology suppliers will want to be there too. Aside from the important meetings taking place with and among 2,500 exhibitors on the 600,000-sq-ft show floor, there will be ample opportunities for all participants to break away and gather additional data to fuel their strategies. Those opportunities include:
- 11½ miles of exhibition aisles
- 2,500-plus exhibitors from 42 countries
- 22 international country pavilions
- 346 paper presentations
- 44-plus technical, panel, and poster sessions
- 24 topical breakfasts/luncheons
- Networking events
- High School Energy Challenge
Of all the technologies represented on and off the show floor, 18 of them will receive the 2019 Spotlight on New Technology Award. Presented May 6 in the NRG Center Rotunda Lobby, this award will recognize technologies that are leading the industry into the future. Five key criteria were used to select them. The technology must:
- have been offered to the marketplace in a ready-for-commercialization state less than two years prior to the application date;
- be original, groundbreaking, and capable of having a major impact on the offshore E&P industry;
- be proven, either through full-scale application or successful prototype;
- be of interest and appeal to the industry;
- provide significant benefits exceeding existing technologies.
For a fifth year, OTC will also support and recognize the innovative technologies being developed by small businesses with the program’s Spotlight on Small Business Award. In addition to meeting the above criteria, a small business honoree must be independently-owned and operated or a not-for-profit concern and have no more than 300 employees for the 12 months preceding the application deadline.
Special Events
Several events for networking and of general interest are also scheduled. The OTC Golden Anniversary Gala Dinner and accompanying events will be held at the Houston Marriott Marquis from 5:30 to 10 p.m. The evening opens with the OTC Board of Directors Networking Reception, followed by dinner at 7 p.m., entertainment, OTC Achievement Award presentations for individuals and organizations, and beneficiary recognition.
Net proceeds from the dinner will be donated to the 2019 beneficiary, Spindletop Charities, which has been making a positive impact for youth primarily in the greater Houston area, with programs targeting child abuse prevention, pediatric medical research, drug and alcohol abuse prevention and rehabilitation, education and scholarships, school safety, therapeutic services and after-school programs, and family health.
The opening general conference session convenes in NRG Center, Room 300-302, Monday morning (May 6) from 9 a.m. to noon, under the theme “OTC’s Golden Anniversary Opening Session: The Next 50 Years of Offshore Developments.” Industry executives will explore how companies are preparing for the new world of digitalization, automation, and machine learning and summarize their visions for the future of offshore exploration and production operations.
Also beginning at 9 a.m. Monday—and occurring until 5 p.m. outside NRG Center Room 600—is the OTC University R&D Showcase, which provides universities the opportunity to share with attendees their current and planned research and development projects relevant to offshore technology. The Showcase will also occur the same hours Tuesday and Wednesday. Participants include the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Oklahoma, Rice University, the University of Houston, and New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
Countries Outside the U.S. with More Than 500 Attendees
Roughly ¾ of last year’s OTC attendees were based in the U.S. But with the total number of attendees topping 65,000, that means more than 15,000 attendees visited the US to attend OTC 2018. Here’s a list of the top 10 countries with at least 500 visitors each.
- China
- United Kingdom
- Nigeria
- Mexico
- Germany
- Canada
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Brazil
- Italy
For more information and to register for OTC19, visit the event's website. To plan your show floor visits, consult the exhibitor list below, which also notes advertisers in the April issue of H&P.
