Covid concerns mean Europe's leading oil and gas conference, SPE Offshore Europe, will not return to Aberdeen until 2022
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Uncertainty over Covid restrictions have led organisers of Europe's biggest oil and gas event to postpone its live conference until February 2022.
Instead, SPE Offshore Europe 2021 will run as a virtual event from September 7 to 10 this year as a taster for the United Nations COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow later this year, with the face-to-face conference returning to Aberdeen from February 1 to 4 next year.
Jonathan Heastie, portfolio director – energy and marine at RX (Reed Exhibitions) which organises the event alongside the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), said that continuing health and safety uncertainties around major indoor events had led to the decision to take a hybrid approach.
He said:"The Offshore Europe (OE) Partnership has consulted widely across the industry including operating and service companies, SMEs and industry organisations on options for the 2021 event. The overwhelming support is to proceed with the conference programme in a virtual format in September 2021, which will facilitate timely discussion pre-COP26, and to hold the face-to-face event in February 2022.”
Phil Chandler, Director, Europe and Caspian events at SPE, said: “The September conference will be strongly focused on the energy transition and supporting the industry’s role in delivering net zero. With further high-level energy transition content at the face-to-face event in February 2022, SPE Offshore Europe will straddle COP26, providing a unique learning opportunity as strategies, experiences and technologies are shared.”
The virtual conference in September will include opening ceremony, plenary panel, and keynote and technical sessions. Full programme details will be announced in the next few weeks.
The live event will include an in-person socially distanced exhibition, new energy transition keynote conference content, show floor features including Energy Transition Zone and Theatre, Decommissioning Theatre, a TIDE (talent investment and diversity) programme and networking events.
Mr Heastie added: “We are excited to look forward to a live event in February 2022 which will offer greater potential for visitor attendance, networking and international participation. We conducted a survey of previous visitors and the results were decisive; by holding the event in Q1 2022, both domestic and international visitor levels would be significantly higher and sufficient to merit holding the face-to-face event next year. Furthermore, all the international pavilions expect to attend in February 2022.”
Aberdeen City Council leader, Councillor Jenny Laing, said that while it was a disappointment that the event, which has been hosted by the city for almost 50 years, would not be returning in 2021, the local authority fully supported the decision.
“We will work to make the virtual event a success whilst turning our focus to delivering an exceptional and safe event in February 2022 when Aberdeen will once again be proud to bring the delegates together,” she added.
Chris Walker, head of communications and external affairs for the Oil and Gas Authority said: “Offshore Europe was always going to be different this year and the decision to split the event in two was made with safety and public health considerations at heart. With a firm focus on energy transition and industry’s role in supporting net zero, the virtual event in September promises to bring together a stellar line-up of leading industry speakers and a world-class technical programme. While nothing in life is guaranteed, the prospect of a safe, well-managed ‘physical’ exhibition next year is something very exciting to look forward to.”
Existing exhibition space bookings for the September 2021 event will roll over to February 2022.
For more information visit: www.offshore-europe.co.uk
