Stavanger’s ONS 2014 will open its doors today, creating a global oil village stretching out across nearly 1km, with large delegations expected from the Middle East and Mexico.
The event covers a larger footprint than in 2012, when the last ONS was held, and is expected to draw in more than 60,000 visitors, breaking attendance records at the sister event to Offshore Europe, held in Aberdeen.
To support the growth, the site has been expanded, with a new hotel and permanent pavilions, replacing tent structures, and Stavanger has also seen several new hotels built and Stavanger’s airport has been expanded.
“Expect a brand new ONS,” says Leif Johan Sevland, president and CEO, ONS (pictured). “We have kept the quality, we have kept the ONS flavor and spirit. But there’s so much that is new this year. We have a brand new hotel – the largest in Stavanger – the exhibition facilities are much higher quality and bigger, we have a larger program and it is more global.”
Sevland says the show has seen huge interest from the Middle East, much more than two years ago. “We also see Mexico coming up – a lot of people are coming from Mexico,” he says. “We also see the Far East coming up as well. It is going to be a global village.”
The interest from the Middle East is underlined by attendance by senior officials from some of the region’s biggest companies, such as Saudi Aramco’s CEO and ADNOC delegations. “They are doing more offshore work but also they see the route between onshore and offshore is closer than we realize. What we have been doing can help them onshore,” Sevland says.
ONS 2012 attracted nearly 60,000 visitors, had 1264 exhibiting companies, 34 exhibiting nations and 109 participating nations.
The theme of this year’s ONS is “Changes.” The only constant is change, says ONS’ organizers. This year’s conference will also make a significant milestone—it is 40 years since the first ONS in 1974, a year when the Norwegian oil industry was only just starting out. Read more: ONS - the only constant is change
Come and visit OE (Offshore Engineer) on stand 399 in Hall C. We have our August North Sea focus issue on stand, which includes a Dutch Offshore Region Review. You can also read it online here.
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