SPE Offshore Europe 2017 Preview

23 August, 2017

Over four days, under the central theme ‘Embracing new realities: reinventing our industry’, 65 free-to-attend technical presentations and a programme of business breakfasts and topical lunches, will provide opportunities to debate, knowledge-share and take new courses of action that will shape the future of the industry.

The 2017 conference chair, Catherine MacGregor, and her executive committee of 17 senior international industry figures, have put together a focused keynote programme that will tackle the issues the industry is facing as it adjusts to the realities of the ‘new normal’.

Conference programme

The opening plenary session promises a packed hall with a top-level line-up of industry CEOs. Ben van Beurden, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell; Bob Dudley, group chief executive of BP; and Robin Watson, CEO of Wood Group will address the hundreds of visitors attending the opening plenary together with Solange Guedes, board director and chief E&P officer of Petrobras and Andrew Jones MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury.

Eleven keynote panel sessions will cover the gamut of topical issues that are relevant in the current climate: from people safety, Big Data, cyber and physical security, transformative technologies, sustainability and decommissioning to new business models for mature basins, making capital work, the talent pool, breakthroughs in supply chain effectiveness and learning from other industries.

Exhibition

More than 1000 exhibitors from across the globe will take to the exhibition floor showcasing a diverse range of technology and equipment. The event will welcome new companies as well as the return of several of the industry’s major players. A large international exhibitor presence will be present with national and international pavilions including Canada, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria and USA.

The free-to-attend high-level technical presentations will address topics including improvements in safety and environment, pipelines, drilling, well automation and analytics, and data driven decision support. An interactive ‘special session’ will address subsea standardisation.

Decommissioning

A new event feature for 2017 is the Decommissioning Zone, which will include a themed exhibition hall for decommissioning technology and service providers and a conference programme that is being organised in association with Decom North Sea, IMechE, ITF and SUT. Independent North Sea operator Fairfield Energy, which is in the process of decommissioning the Greater Dunlin assets, will share details of progress.

Tech Trek

Also new is Tech Trek, designed to make it easier for visitors to find what is new, more easily. Technologies, products and solutions launched within the past 12 months are eligible. Visitors will follow the Tech Trek logo visible on the website exhibitor list, app and catalogue and can look out for it on the stands.