HOUSTON — The offshore energy industry’s so-called Super Bowl is back at NRG Center this week.
Thousands from around the world are expected to attend the Offshore Technology Conference, or OTC, which is fully back in person for the first time in three years.
"Lots of people out there talking about tech, talking about new innovations,” OTC Executive Director Leigh Ann Runyan said.
OTC is back to normal after canceling in 2020 and a delayed, partially virtual event last summer.
"Our floor is about two and a half times bigger than it was in August," Runyan said. "Which we’re really proud about and so thankful for the support from our exhibitors.”
A few major companies decided to skip the event. But there remains a major international presence from Norway to Italy, the UK to Japan and Ghana to Guyana.
"I'm from Brazil," said Douglas Fabio with a Brazilian-based computer technology firm.
He said nothing beats in-person interaction.
"Business was terrible without the contact, face-to-face,” Fabio said.
For the first time, OTC has an area on the exhibition floor dedicated to energy transition and breakout sessions on topics like zero emissions and carbon capture.
"Wind energy is a huge sector for the future for us,” said Marcin Grzegory, who came to OTC to promote the Polish region of Pomerania.
The country was recently cut off from Russia amid an infusion of Ukrainian refugees.
"The main goal for us is to get independent from the Russian sources of traditional energy, oil and gas,” Grzegory said.
He and others consider OTC and Houston the premier place to make worldwide connections.
OTC had its peak attendance of over 108,000 in 2014 and means millions of dollars in local economic impact.