Countdown to SPE Offshore Europe

Inspiring the next generation sets the theme for this year’s SPE Offshore Europe 2015. OE takes a look at what’s in store at this year’s event.

Offshore Europe 2014.

In under three months’ time, the world’s offshore oil and gas industry is set to descend on Aberdeen, Scotland, for one of the largest oil events in the calendar – SPE Offshore Europe 2015.

The biennial event, which has grown year-on-year since the first show back in 1973, is set for another bumper crop of keynote sessions, technical sessions, topical lunches and breakfast briefings, as well as the growing Deepwater Zone and extensive exhibition halls.

Despite the current difficulties in the market, the industry is far from over and that focus should still fall firmly on innovation, technology development, and – not least – attracting talent, is the view of those setting the agenda.

In fact, “how to inspire the next generation” is SPE Offshore Europe 2015’s over-arching theme.

Neglecting to encourage talent into the industry at this time would be damaging, says Alistair Geddes, president of strategy, resource development and support, Expro Group, who is co-chairing the Development Talent committee at this year’s SPE Offshore Europe.

Michael Engell-Jensen.

“E&Y’s recent UK study ‘Fueling the next generation’ highlighted the need for 12,000 new entrants into the industry over the next five years alone. We don’t want to repeat mistakes of the past, so it’s important we take a balanced and long term approach to talent management,” he says.

Global, geopolitical topics, technology, deepwater, health, safety and security are all also high on the agenda, which will feature both a keynote and technical program.

The keynote program, chaired by Michael Engell-Jensen, executive director of the International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP), will feature 11 sessions focusing on topics such as the basic challenge of meeting energy demand while balancing concerns over climate change, security of supply and consumer affordability.

Other topics include: health; the safety and security of people and assets; well intervention; financing investments; oil spill response; and inspiring the next generation to join the industry. Speakers will range from senior representatives from international operating companies and contractors, to trade association representatives, government regulators and academia.

The technical program, chaired by Expro Group CEO Charles Woodburn will feature more than 75 papers, demonstrating the industry’s engineering, manufacturing and technology excellence.

Charles Woodburn

Speakers drawn from all over the world will discuss topics such as asset and well integrity, maximizing economic recovery, smarter field development, pipelines and risers, subsea processing, talent development, unconventional gas development, process safety, and decommissioning.

Planning is also well under way on the dedicated Deepwater Zone, the breakfast and lunch agenda, and on an ambitious “Inspire” program aimed at the younger generation.

Engell-Jensen says: “For many decades to come, oil and gas will remain indispensable to the world for securing heat, light, mobility and prosperity. As a responsible industry, we must address society’s concerns about our operations and the hydrocarbons on which the world relies.

“The keynote program will focus on the basic challenge of meeting energy demand while balancing concerns over climate change, security of supply and consumer affordability. This challenge incorporates related issues: the well-being of our people and neighboring communities, environmental risks and the safety and security of upstream assets. These imperatives are fundamental in framing the oil and gas industry for the foreseeable future.”