The 7th annual Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference (OEEC) held on 28 & 29 October at Amsterdam RAI attracted 13,452 visitors representing 81 nationalities, an increase of 47% compared to last year. OEEC 2014 featured 630 exhibitors on 21,000 sq.m. floor space and 106 speakers in 22 sessions.
Official opening
OEEC 2014 was opened by a high profile key note speaker. Dr. María de Lourdes Melgar Palacios, Undersecretary of Hydrocarbons of Mexico, spoke about the Mexican energy reform and its emphasis on increasing private sector participation through free competition and the opportunities this creates. Together with Pieter van Oord, CEO of Van Oord and Chairman of the Association of Dutch Suppliers in the Oil & Gas Industry IRO and Coert van Zijll Langhout, Director of Navingo BV, creator and producer of OEEC, Dr. Melgar opened the two-day event.
Exhibition
The exhibition took place in four halls. Of the 630 exhibitors that showcased their solutions and services for the offshore oil, gas and renewables industry, 124 companies were foreign. For two days Amsterdam was a meeting place for a host of international clients, OEM’s, EPC companies and suppliers. Their business activities encompass oil and gas exploration and production as well as marine renewable energy development.
Conference program
The Conference offered more speakers, more topics and more sessions. The three panel meetings offered discussions between captains of industry on industry wide strategic challenge, trends in financing and resourcing in the offshore industry. The eight technical sessions covered a variety of topics ranging from permanent well abandonment to offshore maintenance services and from the latest in offshore vessels to technical and regulatory developments in wave and tidal energy. The Masterclasses for young professionals were well attended and offered a unique setting for exchanging of ideas between CEOs and young professionals.
