Offshore Technology Conference Boasts 29-year Attendance, Showfloor Size Record
The Houston-based Offshore Technology Conference boasted a 29-year attendance high for its recent show held at Reliant Park.
The show, held May 2-5, had 78,150 attendees, which was up 8 percent from last year and surpassed the 2010 total of 72,025.
The sold out trade show also was the largest since 1982 at 603,000 square feet, up from 568,000 square feet in 2010. The event had 2,520 companies from 40 countries, including 306 new exhibitors this year and added exhibitors from Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines.
New this year was the OTC Parkway, spanning from Reliant Center to Reliant Arena, which increased the outdoor exhibition space.
"The outstanding attendance underscores that OTC is the show to attend and reflects the economic recovery, as well as the importance of global offshore resource development in meeting world energy demand,” said Susan Cunningham, 2011 OTC chairman.
She added, “This is an industry that rises to and meets incredible challenges, and the best minds from around the world come together at OTC to share our knowledge, to learn about technological advances and innovative approaches, to solve problems and to discuss important issues that affect the entire planet.”
A major focus of the show’s conference program was the impact of the impact on deepwater drilling of the Macondo accident in the Gulf of Mexico, with 11 sessions presenting government and energy leaders discussing the lessons learned to take forward across the globe.
OTC's Spotlight on New Technology program highlighted 15 innovative technologies that already are making the industry more effective, according to OTC show officials.
The inaugural Annual OTC Dinner was attended by more than 1,000 industry leaders and conference attendees and raised $200,000 for the Gulf of Mexico Foundation.
“The health and sustainability of the Gulf of Mexico is vital to the businesses that work in and alongside it,” said Gulf of Mexico Foundation President and CEO Quenton Dokken.
He added, “Recognition by the Offshore Technology Conference is the culmination of decades of collaborative efforts between the Gulf of Mexico Foundation and the offshore industries to understand and protect the quality of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.”
Last year’s OTC was ranked No. 24 on the 2010 TSNN Top 250 Trade Show list and will be held again April 30 – May 2 in Houston’s Reliant Park.
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