Online, in-person hybrid offers a glimpse of future conferences
Houston’s biggest trade show puts its technology to use
Thousands of oil and gas professionals milled about the convention floor Tuesday, checking out semi-autonomous robots that can detect gas leaks and remote-operated submersibles used to inspect offshore rigs.
But beyond the exhibition hall at NRG Center, a different version of the Offshore Technology Conference was taking place — entirely online. Following a year in which business meetings, weddings and family gatherings were confined to computer screens, Houston’s largest trade show went virtual, allowing attendees in on panel discussions, exhibitor booths and even networking — all through their laptop or mobile device.
“Anybody anywhere can join anytime,” OTC Executive Director Leigh Ann Runyan said. “The world has changed completely. We’ve all learned we need to learn to operate within the parameters we’ve been given and do it safely.”
For the first time in its halfcentury history, OTC held a hybrid in-person and virtual conference to accommodate the tens of thousands of attendees who couldn’t or wouldn’t travel to the show because of the pandemic. The show, held just as coronavirus cases are again surging nationally, offered a glimpse into what could become the future of conventions in Houston.
OTC is not the first oil and gas conference in Houston to go vir
tual. CERAWeek by IHS Markit held in February used video conferencing to bring together energy ministers, oil executives and professionals from around the world. Attendees logged into CERAWeek’s website to view panel discussions about oil and natural gas, hydrogen and geothermal energy, and could converse with one another via a live chat.
Utpal Dholakia, a marketing professor at Rice University’s Jones School of Business, said there are substantial benefits to having in-person interactions at conferences, where face-to-face introductions can lead to future deals. But as society has become used to video chats and online meetings, the rise of the virtual conference is a trend that could persist well beyond the pandemic, he said.
More than half of 505 business event planners surveyed in February by Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research consulting firm said they expect that conferences will offer a virtual component after the pandemic ends.
“I don't think the virtual mode of participation can completely replace in-person participation,” Dholakia said. “However, for more and more conferences in the future, a hybrid mode will become widely available. By this I mean the ability for an attendee to participate remotely or in person, based on their preference, which did not exist before.”
OTC organizers began discussing a hybrid conference as soon as they canceled last year’s convention because of the pandemic and began planning this year’s event. The convention appeared poised for a major comeback with the rollout of coronavirus vaccines, but the highly-infectious delta variant upended hopes for a packed, in-person convention.
Just a few days before OTC was set to kick off, Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield services company, pulled out of the conference, citing the rise in local hospitalization rates due to COVID-19. Schlumberger joined Halliburton, Siemens Energy, DrilQuip
and Technip in hosting virtual booths this week.
OTC is expected to draw about 30,000 attendees, although a wave of recent hotel room cancellations suggests that attendance could be less. The conference, usually held in May, drew about 60,000 in 2019. Figures for inperson and online attendance at this year’s conference are expected this week.
“We really wanted to be in person,
but we had to come to terms (with the pandemic),” Runyan said. “We have brought the world back together, not in person completely, but we’ve done it virtually as well.”
Runyan, who was named OTC’s executive director in February, said she has been pleased with the online attendance at the conference so far. While there are many benefits to in-person conferences, virtual conventions
have their benefits, too, she said.
OTC attendees this year can watch panel discussions, presentations and award ceremonies live or watch a recording almost immediately afterward from the comfort of their homes. They could log into the conference website to visit virtual booths, where they could look over exhibiting companies’ product brochures and videos, and even leave a “virtual business card.”
Attendees can save money on flights, hotels and rental cars by participating virtually. Registration costs for both in-person and online attendees were the same: $180 for OTC members and $280 for non-members. Without traveling to the conference, oil and gas attendees also leave a smaller carbon footprint, Runyan added.
For the most part, OTC’s virtual conference occurred seamlessly in the backdrop of the in-person conference, but it was not without some technical glitches. A malfunction with the visual connection at a panel Tuesday morning resulted in an audio only experience by attendees. Panel discussions featured a mix of inperson and virtual moderators and speakers, with the virtual ones appearing on TV screens. Virtual speakers responded to questions from the audience via live chat.
Runyan said OTC conducted three “stress tests” to make sure the conference had enough bandwidth to accommodate its online attendees, and it worked with vendors to ensure that technical difficulties were kept to a minimum.
“The virtual component will be a big part of events moving forward,” Runyan said. “Technology doesn’t scare people anymore. People are just so much more comfortable with it.”
For many companies at OTC, however, there was no replacement for meeting with potential clients in person.
VideoRay, a Pennsylvaniabased company that specializes in remote underwater vehicles technology, displayed one of its subsea machines inside a 4,400gallon water tank. The underwater robot can be used to inspect offshore rigs, test the thickness of pipes and clean marine life off of equipment.
The company’s highly visual demonstration, featuring the robot lifting a 25-pound weight, captured the attention of about 100 visitors gathered around its booth Monday. The robot, outfitted with seven propeller thrusters, costs $100,000 to $350,000.
“Face to face always does better because of the human interaction,” Chris Gibson, VideoRay’s vice president of sales, marketing and business development.
Ghost Robotics, based in Philadelphia, attracted a crowd of attendees with its four-legged robot that walked and trotted through NRG Center like a well-trained dog. The all-weather machine can walk for three hours before requiring a charge.
Tom Jacobs, a Ghost Robotics senior engineer, said he felt like the Pied Piper as several attendees followed his robot back to the company’s booth.
“In-person is good for sales,” Jacobs said. “People can see our videos online, but it doesn't compare to seeing it in person.”