Offshore Europe 2005: a record-breaker
Posted: 19 September 2005
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OE05 has broken all the records in the book for the Eastern Hemisphere ’s biggest oil industry event, with more visitors and exhibitors flocking to the show than ever before.
The number of people through the doors at Offshore Europe by the time the doors closed on Friday, 9 th September totalled well over 30,000, the highest ever attendance figure for the biennial show. The busiest day was on Day 2 when a massive 11,483 flooded into the conference and exhibition - the largest single day figure in the history of Offshore Europe’s 16 events.
These record visitor numbers have helped the conference and exhibition - organised by The Offshore Europe Partnership - surpass even the 'boom' years of the 1970s for the North Sea in terms of the number of exhibiting companies and show space sold. This is largely due to OE05’s universally accepted role as an event with a global relevance and perspective - a natural evolution of its original role that stemmed from its roots in the North Sea ’s emergence more than 30 years ago.
The show’s industry standing was reflected by the number of important announcements made there, including the UK ’s biggest licensing round for years, when UK Minister for Energy Malcolm Wicks MP used OE05 as the platform from which to announce details of the 23 rd Licensing Round. This saw 152 licences issued to around 100 companies - the highest number awarded since UK offshore licensing began in 1964.
Record number of exhibitors; 16 major operators present
This year’s figure beat 2003’s total of 26,337, itself a previous high. There were 1,661 companies exhibiting at last week’s show compared to 1,392 in 2003. The record number of companies also took more space at the show at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) than ever used before, covering 20,188 square metres. This included 16 major oil company operators including Shell, BP, Total, ConocoPhillips, Chornomornaftogaz of the Ukraine , Gazprom of Russia, Venezuela ’s PDVSA and the Colombian National Hydrocarbons Agency.
A total of 107 countries were represented at the show either as exhibitors or visitors.
Much of OE05’s vitality came from its agenda-setting conference, under the theme ‘ Managing Mature Pr oduction: A Global Challenge’, and the attendance of many highly influential industry figures.
Chairman Andrew Gould, who is also chairman and CEO of oilfield services giant Schlumberger, commented: "The outstanding delegate participation and strong international presence at OE05 are clear expressions of the industry's commitment to developing current and future sources of oil and gas supply to meet global demand.
“OE05 has seen a wide range of new technologies and innovative approaches focused on mature field recovery, as well as on non-conventional hydrocarbon development. The success of this year's conference and exhibition provide a strong foundation for OE07."
Nik Rudge, Pr oject Director for OE 2005, said: “This has been a fantastic show for us from almost every perspective, and we’re delighted that it attracted so many delegates and exhibitors from all over the world. It really has been a record-breaker in every regard, and I believe it reflects both the upbeat nature of the event itself as well as the upturn in the global exploration and production sector. The support we’ve had from the industry, and the feedback we got from our exhibitors and delegates in the aisles was very encouraging.”
He also highlighted the quality and seniority of visitors from the energy business that attended. "Getting record-breaking numbers in itself is fabulous, but attracting the right sort of people is the important thing," he said. Planning is already underway for OE07. "We are already getting reservations from people who want to return with even bigger and better stands in two years,” he added.
OE a ‘barometer’ of the upstream industry
Throughout the four-day show there was a vibrant atmosphere, directly reflecting the oil industry's current upsurge in activity, driven partly by the dramatic climb in the price of oil in recent months to record highs of up to $70 per barrel. This is enabling many oil companies to kickstart new projects internationally as overall economics improve, providing new business opportunities for the contracting and oil services sector both within the UK and around the world.
Mr Rudge commented: “OE05 is a marvelous barometer of the industry; the confidence that we are seeing in the global E&P sector and the focus on the North Sea as a proving ground for mature fields and production optimisation was reflected in the record-breaking attendance figures and exhibitor numbers.”
VIP visitors
A stream of high-profile visitors attended the show, including the UK Minister for Energy Malcolm Wicks MP and a host of international delegations and ambassadors. Heavyweight speakers from the industry at the conference included Mahmoud Abdul-Baqi, Vice Pr esident Exploration Saudi Aramco; Tom Botts, Executive VP Europe, Shell International E&P; Luis F Vierma, VP E&P, PDVSA; Michel Bènèzit, VP Northern Europe, Total; Mike Bowyer, UK Managing Director Halliburton; Robert Olsen, Chairman and Pr oduction Director, ExxonMobil International; and Sir Ian Wood, Chairman and Chief Executive, Wood Group.
Hi-tech Digital Energy Zone a hit
Also at OE05 was the Digital Energy Zone, which showcased the technologies leading the industry towards the next generation, web-enabled oil field. Thousands of visitors attended the DEZ, further underlining OE’s reputation as the most innovative oil and gas event on the industry calendar.
Posted by Editor Pipeline Magazine
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