Meet the future

The fastest growing offshore event in Europe. Here’s a title Offshore Energy can be very proud of. The exhibition and conference will be held on 15 and 16 October of this year in the Amsterdam RAI. With a number of additions and developments, it promises to be a great success once again.

”Offshore projects become more complex each year”, states Annemieke den Otter, exhibition manager Offshore Energy. ”Facing these offshore challenges and due to the need for constant innovation, companies require a platform to discuss projects, developments and solutions. Offshore Energy can offer this. It is the platform for the future.” 2013 will mark the sixth edition of this offshore event and boasts 15,000 m2 exhibition space with over 500 exhibitors and an expected visitor count of 8,500. Furthermore, the conference programme has been expanded to include three high caliber panels as well as the well-known technical sessions and side-events. Not only that, this year will include masterclasses for young professionals and the simultaneous occurrence of Offshore Wind Installation and Maintenance Conference (OWIM). Safe to say, the offshore industry will have plenty to do and see in the Amsterdam RAI.

Growing each year

Navingo, the media company who organise the event, is extremely proud of the constant growth the event has shown over the years. Offshore Energy will be held over three halls this year, instead of one. Offering 3,000 m2 extra exhibition space than last year. Den Otter: ”Also, almost half of the 500 exhibitors confirmed their participation during Offshore Energy 2012. A sign that companies believe in this event and the importance of coming together as an industry.” Bas van Bemmelen, business unit manager at exhibitor Boskalis states: ”We want people to know that Boskalis plays a major part in the offshore energy sector. We continue to build within the oil and gas industries as well as in renewables. Offshore Energy 2013 will offer us the opportunity to speak to exhibitors and visitors alike in an informal manner and to show them the latest developments that Boskalis has to offer.” The trust companies have in the event can also be seen in the return of many sponsors, such as the DylanGroup, a provider of complete steel piping products and services packages, who, like last year, will be goldsponsor to the event. Other sponsors include Damen Shipyards, Jotun, Rabobank, Bluestream, Den Helder Support Services BV, Hempel, ABN Amro and Croon TBI Techniek.

MBH pavilion

Iwan Scholte, sales manager offshore and mobile harbour cranes at Liebherr Maritime Benelux B.V., says: ”Offshore Energy is one of the largest offshore exhibition in Europe and her exhibitors as well as her visitors are of great interest to us, as well as the many networking possibilities. We are working hard to let everyone know that we will be at Offshore Energy this year.” Not only will companies such as BigLift, Neptune Shipyards, Voith and Bakker Sliedrecht be exhibiting during Offshore Energy 2013, but there will also be several pavilions open to visit. Such as the pavilions of for instance China and Den Helder. Not to mention the Maritime by Holland pavilion which has 19 participating companies ranging from newcomers to the pavilion like Alewijnse Marine Systems and Double D marine equipment to Brevini Nederland BV, who have been with the pavilion since 2011. Sandra Mollema, export promotion manager at HME, is looking forward to Offshore Energy 2013 and comments: ”The pavilion expands every year, we started out with 90 m2 exhibition space in 2011 and have now grown to 280 m2 exhibition space. It is nice to see companies return to the pavilion who have been with us from the start as well as seeing some new faces.” Visit the Maritime by Holland pavilion on the evening of 15 October for a cocktail party.

Conference programme

As many know, the exhibition is only part of Offshore Energy. The conference has seen its fair share of development and proves that this year is no different.

Participants of the Maritime by Holland pavilion

• Alewijnse Marine Systems
• Brevini Nederland BV
• Double D marine equipment BV
• ESTechnologies BV
• euro HÜBNER Benelux BV
• Geberit BV
• Grundfos
• Hatenboer-Water BV
• Innovative Input BV
• Machinefabriek G. van der Ploeg (Nieland BV)
• Machine & Lierenfabriek C. Kraaijeveld BV
• Offshore Ship Designers
• Ringspann Benelux BV
• Roxtec
• Shipyard Reimerswaal
• TNO Maritime & Offshore
• Verebus Engineering
• Winteb BV
• WRS Group

Five technical sessions will be held, with subjects ranging from advances in wave and tidal energy to North Sea exploration & production to state-of-the-art vessels for the offshore industry. A new addition this year is the session on East-Africa, organised in cooperation with the Netherlands African Business Council (NABC). These sessions are ticketed, although the side events are free of charge.

The Industry Panel

Last year the Industry Panel was held for the first time and proved to be a hit. This C-level event will take place again this year with two spinoff sessions to boot. Femke Perlot-Hoogeveen, conference manager Offshore Energy, comments: ”The goal of the Industry Panel is to bring together a number of the best positioned experts in the upstream oil and gas industry to publicly exchange ideas on the industry’s growth potential, drivers for and impediment to growth. I guess you can think of it as an offline live Wiki. The panel is expertly moderated by John Andrews of The Economist, a newspaper and online news portal, to create and outlook by and for the offshore industry.” The industry panel is expected to bring together over 300 attendants and will focus on the future structure and strategy of the offshore industry.

Spin-offs and master classes

Furthermore, there will be two spin off sessions to the Industry Panel. The first being the Drilling & Dollars Panel, which will discuss investments opportunities in oil and gas, challenges in project financing as well as reserve based lending and the latest cutting edge financing solutions against the backdrop of the financial crisis. The second spinoff panel is the Human Capital Panel focusing on the global competition for talent, intercultural cooperation, impact on operations and retaining top talent.

Another new addition are the masterclasses that will be held with training institute De Baak. Four Masterclasses will be held with the intention of helping young professionals increase there personal effectiveness within a company. The workshops are based on a presentation by a master, followed by an interview with the master and group sessions. The masterclasses are rounded off with feedback from the master. In addition to the masterclasses there will also be a career pavilion present during Offshore Energy, where job seekers can come into contact with companies eager to meet new talent.

OWIM

”And to top off the conference side of Offshore Energy, we have OWIM”, smiles Perlot-Hoogeveen. ”The fourth edition of Offshore Wind Installation and Maintenance will be held on 16 October. We have adjusted the time frame of the event so that attendants can also explore Offshore Energy 2013 and vice versa, we are hoping for cross-contamination with Offshore Energy exhibitors coming into contact with OWIM attendants. The product display area will allow for plenty of networking possibilities. Furthermore, an Offshore WIND zone will be part of Offshore Energy, focusing on new products and services of offshore wind supply chain companies.”

All in all Offshore Energy promises to be the event for the offshore industry. Visitor registration is possible online at www.offshore-energy.biz. You can also find more information Offshore Energy, exhibitors and the conference programme here.

Rebecca McFedries

Location
Amsterdam RAI
Europaplein
1078 GZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands
www.offshore-energy.biz
Opening hours
Exhibition venue: Hall 9, 10 & 11
Tuesday 15 October: 10:00 – 18:00
Wednesday 16 October: 09:30 – 16:30
Conference Venue: Forum & E-rooms
Tuesday 15 October: 09:00 – 18:00
Wednesday 16 October: 09:00 – 16:30