OTC 2004

OTC 2004 builds on recent years' successes

Sponsoring organizations succeeded in making various improvements to the event in 2003, and they have more innovative features on tap for this year

No one doubts the position of the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston as the world's premier event catering to the global upstream industry. Indeed, OTC last year saw its attendance zoom to an 18-year high. Nevertheless, SPE and its sister, sponsoring organizations have worked hard to bring additional improvements to the event. Many of these contributed to last year's success, a fact that OTC 2004 Chairman Rod Allan is proud of, in light of difficult circumstances.

Rod Allan, OTC 2004 Chairman	Mark Rubin, SPE Executive Director

“We succeeded nicely despite several serious distractions that could have impacted our attendance,” said Allan. “First, we had the war in Iraq and its aftermath. Then came the SARS epidemic, which really threatened to hurt our Asian participation. Last but not least, the US economy was not performing well. Even so, we had our best attendance in years. Given that these factors have decreased in intensity, I feel even better about this year.”

Just to be sure, OTC organizers are not resting on their laurels. Building on improvements made last year, they will offer such new features this year as the Spotlight on New Technology, an Oil Career Fair, OTC Papers Online and PDA mapping of the show floor. “We think these items will add significant value to attendees' experience at OTC,” said SPE Executive Director Mark Rubin.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of the first OTC in 1969. Participants are being asked to put anecdotes about previous OTCs, particularly the earliest years, onto the OTC 2004 website (anecdotes may be sent to otcnews@otcnet.org). Additionally, there will be recognition of the anniversary at the OTC Board's reception, as well as the Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, May 4.

OTC BASICS

For the 36th consecutive year, OTC will be held in Houston, May 3 – 6, in the Reliant Park complex. Attendance is expected to rival 2003's 18-year high of 50,655. Attendees (including exhibit personnel) will represent 110 countries.

Including outdoor stands, total exhibit space is projected to be 398,000 sq ft. Roughly 2,000 companies are expected to occupy that space, representing 27 countries. The technical program continues to grow, with the number of presentations projected at 318 or more (the Technical Program may be accessed at www.otcnet.org/2004/tech_prog/index.html).

This year's theme is “Innovation Without Limits.” There will be three topical luncheons on Monday, May 3, including “Trends in Drilling Operations for Exploratory and Development Wells in Deep Water,” “Opportunities for Investment in the North Sea,” and “Strategies for Improving the Oil and Gas Industry in Brazil.”

There will be three additional luncheons on Wednesday, May 5, including “Business Relations Between the Operators and the Service Industry – Who Takes the Financial Risk of the Project,” “Norwegian Perspectives on Global Oil and Gas Challenges” and “The Future Cost to Create More Energy.” This year, there will be three topical luncheons on Thursday, May 6. These include “Managing Mega-Mega Projects,” “From Subsea to Outer Space and Back” (with NASA astronaut Mike Gernhardt) and “Rebuilding Iraq.” 

Organizers have scheduled three Industry Breakfasts for the week, including “CNG: An Emerging Marine Gas Transport Industry” on Tuesday, “Department of Commerce-Examining Angola's Offshore Opportunities” on Wednesday, and “Department of Commerce – Commercial Opportunities in Qatar's Offshore Oil and Gas Sectors” on Thursday.

Shell-EP Americas/BP's Na Kika Project and E. Richard Frisbie have been selected to receive Distinguished Achievement Awards at this year's OTC. In addition, Andrew Gould, CEO, Schlumberger, will deliver the Keynote Address at the Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, May 4.

IMPROVEMENTS/NEW FEATURES

As mentioned earlier, several additional new features and improvements are set for this year's OTC. Some of these improvements were derived from discussions within the OTC Board, while other items were generated by proposals from outside firms that saw special unfulfilled niches. Improvements also incorporated comments from exhibitors and show attendees.

Spotlight on New Technology. Perhaps the most notable addition to OTC this year is the debut of Spotlight on Technology, a program that recognizes OTC exhibitors that have introduced new, advanced technologies to the offshore oil and gas industry. “There will be a special booth set up in the Rotunda of Reliant Center to house this program,” said Rubin. “We can recognize a maximum of 25 companies, although a special panel of judges has decided to recognize 15 finalists.” (A list of the 15 finalists is available at www.otcnet.org)

Attendees at OTC 2004 will be able to navigate the show floor and stay updated on the technical program via downloads to personal digital assistants (PDAs) from kiosks spread around the exhibit area.

“We're finally getting this in place for 2004 after working on the concept for several years, and I'm pleased to see it coming together,” added Allan. “Spotlight on Technology allows exhibitors to showcase their hard work, creativity and edge-of-the-envelope, practical thinking.” To be considered for the Spotlight program, exhibiting companies had to meet four key criteria:

• New and innovative. The technology must be less than two years old. 
• Proven. The technology must be proven, either through full-scale application or successful prototype testing. 
• Broad interest. The technology must have broad interest and appeal to the industry. 
• Significant impact. The technology must provide significant benefits beyond existing technologies. 

Oilcareerfair. Some industry observers have, over the years, described OTC as one giant career fair, given that a professional person seeking work can access hundreds of companies and their management in one location. This year, organizers are acknowledging that fact by creating an actual “Oilcareerfair.” The idea was actually suggested by a firm called “Worldwide Worker.com,” which recognized the ongoing need to link potential employees with potential employers. “They came to us with this proposal, and we examined it and thought they had a pretty good idea,” said Rubin. “I would characterize the fair as being oriented primarily to mid-career people, much more so than fresh college graduates.”

Indeed, said Allan, the fair is set up to help people who already have substantial industry experience, but who may be struggling to find work at this moment. “OTC is a great place for making contacts, but to try to set up a place and actually get some companies to agree to come in with their H.R. (Human Resources) representatives and pick up resumes, and get that first point of contact with people was the goal here. So, we will have some H.R. representatives from such firms as ENI, Saudi Aramco, SGF Global, etc., and it is being organized by worldwideworker.com.”

Allan noted that there will be booth space dedicated to the career fair, and additional information about it is posted on the OTC website. “Available positions will be posted on the website 45 days in advance of OTC. The booth space gives us a forum for the attendees to have interaction with some of the employers and recruiters. We certainly hope that it succeeds in its mission.”

Thursday emphasis. Over the years, most OTC participants have considered the event's final day as the weakest link in a strong program. OTC Thursdays generally have seen a slacking of attendance, and many exhibitors have used the day to get a jump-start on preparations for packing up to go home.

All those conceptions are about to change, said Allan. “We really did push forward a strong program for Thursday this year. It's probably one of the strongest that we've ever tried to do. We've got the whole session on Na Kika, plus three Topical Luncheons are on Thursday this year, not to mention the breakfast on Qatar, sponsored by the US Department of Commerce. Plus, the Active Arena focus on the UK is also on Thursday this year. So, we've really tried to put together a large program of sessions for that day.”

Speaking of the Active Arena, there will be a panelist discussion on the UK, complete with at least two independent operators discussing the trend toward smaller firms on the UKCS. “I'm expecting Thursday to be extremely busy and well-attended,” said Allan.

OTC Papers Online. Show organizers have created OTC Papers Online, a searchable database of more than 9,000 technical papers from all OTC meetings since 1969. The service enables anyone doing research related to offshore oil and gas to quickly locate relevant data from the storehouse of information that has been presented at OTC over the last 35 years. “We built OTC Papers Online to fill a much-requested need for easy access to the vast wealth of offshore information presented at OTC,” said Allan. “From early reports of activity on the service, I think that it's clear that OTC Papers Online will become the definitive resource for offshore technology.”

Papers can be downloaded from OTC Papers Online for US$10, each. The service is available at www.otcnet.org.

PDA mapping. Another example of a new OTC feature emerging from a suggestion brought by an outside firm is the PDA mapping function. This year, attendees will be able to download the OTC floor plan and schedule to their personal desk assistant devices (PDAs). Six kiosk stations, sponsored by Schlumberger, will be distributed throughout the show floor. At these stations, attendees can hook up and download the desired information. They can also download from the OTC website, two weeks before the show. “This idea was brought to us by a firm called Next Space,” said Rubin. “We are partnering with them on the project, and they will oversee the actual operation.”

OTC Night at the Astros. One of last year's new offerings that was particularly successful was the reciprocal trade promotion established between OTC and the Houston Astros professional baseball team. Once again, an Astros stand will be set up within Reliant Center to sell tickets and other items to OTC attendees.

Over at Minute Maid Park, where the Astros play, exhibiting companies will have an opportunity to win access to a suite at one of the Astros' games. In addition, Tuesday, May 4, will be “OTC Night” at the ballpark. Tickets for the Astros' games with Cincinnati (May 3) and Pittsburgh (May 4 – 6) will be discounted up to 50% for OTC attendees.

“We had about 2,700 people turn out from the show for ‘OTC Night at the Ballpark,' and it was a great success,” said Rubin. “It was great fun, and we expect similar or greater attendance this year.”

Tours of Area Attractions. Responding to the requests of out-of-town and international visitors, OTC has worked to set up information about tourist attractions in the Houston area, as well as organize tours of attractions. “There will be a special booth set up for information and registration on tourist attractions,” said Allan. “In the past, we've had a fair amount of interest in such information from our international attendees, but this is the first year that we've formally addressed the subject.”

“At the stand, visitors can directly make arrangements with OTC staff for tours,” added Rubin. “And we encourage visitors to also sign up in advance for tours online, at the OTC website.”