OTC Pumps Energy into Houston
As the world’s largest event for the development of offshore exploration and production resources, the Offshore Technology Conference is the place that the oil and gas industry comes to introduce new technology. The indoor exhibition area is sold out, with a waiting list of companies.
Scheduled for May 3-6 2010 at Reliant Park, OTC is an scientific and technical conference for industry professionals, sponsored by 12 professional societies representing every aspect of the offshore exploration and production industry. In addition to exhibit space in Reliant Center, indoor exhibit space is being expanded to Reliant Arena, and there is an outdoor exhibition space as well. OTC will no longer have exhibit space in Reliant Stadium or the tented OTC Pavilion.
The World Comes to OTC
OTC started in 1969, and the first conference drew 4,200 attendees and included 200 exhibitors. For its 40th anniversary in 2009, attendance at OTC was strong at nearly 68,000 attendees from more than 120 countries, despite the economic downturn. Since 1969, OTC has generated nearly $1.8 billion in income for Houston.
Who attends OTC? Geoscientists and engineers, managers and executives, professors and university students, consultants and purchasing agents are among the many professionals who attend OTC for the exhibit and the conference. OTC offers more than 300 technical presentations from leading experts on technology advances and innovative approaches that are used to find and produce more oil and gas from offshore areas that are in increasingly deep water and harsh environments.
OTC Addresses Technology and Global Issues
The technical conference presents a three-prong focus on technical, business, and regulatory issues in the oil and gas industry. It emphasizes a wider spectrum of energy sources and has a global reach. In addition to technical presentations, OTC offers panel sessions where industry leaders discuss current challenges and future directions, as well as special presentations at industry breakfasts and topical lunches. Experts will address jobs and the economy, managing social and environmental risks in international projects, and the costs to implement climate change policies.
OTC is a one-of-a-kind experience. With more than 2,400 exhibitors, OTC ranks among the largest annually held trade shows in the US. The exhibit is a powerful draw: attendees spend an average of eight hours on the exhibit floor. In addition to the individual companies exhibiting at OTC, whole countries sponsor exhibits.
“This is an amazingly high tech industry that creates technology that can end up in a NASA space vehicle. Incredible technology is required to drill miles under the ocean, which has been compared technologically to putting a man on the moon,” said Susan Cunningham, 2010 OTC chairperson.
OTC presents awards for innovative technology that has wide applications for the industry through its Spotlight on New Technology program.
OTC Reaches the Next Generation
OTC offers special sessions on for young oil and gas professionals age 35 and under, to help them build their technical and leadership skills. OTC also offers an education day on Thursday, providing 200 high school students an opportunity to see the technology on display at OTC. The OTC Energy Education Institute provides an all-day workshop on Thursday for 100 Houston area science teachers for grades 4-12 on how to get energy topics into their classroom.
