Apparently, the visitor numbers for ADIPEC this year were up by 7% compared to last year. The Abu Dhabi oil & gas exhibition and conference keeps growing. We were there as part of the Scottish Development International delegation and thanks go to their fantastic team and tireless support for Scottish businesses.
It is always interesting to see how things are changing and there are three things that jumped out to me.
Read MoreADIPEC 2019 is here… larger, more inspiring and more dynamic than ever. With key speakers such as Condoleezza Rice, Udacity co-founder Sebastian Thran and Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources, Frank Fannon, among others, the show’s theme aimed at integrating innovation and diversity in a more conservative industry.
If you’ve participated, you would have noticed a little book in your welcome pack titled ‘Connecting the Global Energy Community’. That’s exactly how it felt. The Oil & Gas industry is a very tight knitted society where relationship management is your strongest skill. This may come as a surprise to an outsider as the perception is that oil & gas is a more product-centric trade. In fact, the key ingredient for a successful career in this area is the degree of trust and commitment you can insert in your work ethic. ‘Actions speak better than words’ is a fully embraced mantra. But these do not come easily and it’s no wonder that in the time these skills are nurtured people became more than partners, they became a community.
The same applies for SAS Environmental Services. With an experience of 20 years in the industry SAS has always had one goal in mind. Find a solution to a very challenging problem – drilling waste and everything associated with it. Different actors within the industry struggled with this obstacle, needing to keep certain KPIs in mind. While those are important for us and our partners, what we really want to achieve is a way to help the industry minimize its impact on the environment and prosper in the same time. A testament to our success is the miles we walked at ADIPEC meeting with our partners. Exciting times are waiting us and we’re looking forward to sharing them with you.
Around this time of the year if you’re a kid you’re looking forward to winter holidays. If you’re working in the Oil & Gas industry, you’re looking forward to ADIPEC. And that goes for the SAS Team as well.
Set to begin next week, from 11 to 14 November, ADIPEC is consider one of the top events in the industry and for a good reason. A more contemporary event, ADIPEC started in 2005 and in the last 14 years it established itself as a leading promulgator for the Oil & Gas development with success stories rewarded with the prestigious ADIPEC Awards.
This year ADIPEC focuses on Gas & Oil 4.0 and its particular means of achieving it through digitalisation. Gas & Oil 4.0 refers to Industry 4.0, hailed as the 4th Industrial Revolution. In essence it’s a trend of technological improvement, automation and data exchange that will make Oil & Gas ‘smarter’, more efficient, more secure, more profitable and more environmentally friendly.
SAS Environmental Services is great supporter of this impactful progress. Our innovative chemistry and processes deal with waste in a conscientious way and help ease daily production and maintenance activities. Feedback from our partners include acknowledgements of energy and cost efficiency, increased oil recovery, water safe disposal back into the environment and a reduced carbon footprint. These solutions integrated with the new technological advancements help consolidate your vision.
We hope you’ll let us support you in this new era. The SAS Team - Mark, John and Laura – will be happy to welcome you at the Scottish Pavilion, stand # 1210. We’d love to hear your new ideas, achievements and challenges.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you wish to arrange for a meeting beforehand. If not, see you there!
Last week the SAS-ES team travelled to Houston, Texas for the Offshore Technology Conference. Just 5 years ago, in 2014, attendance numbers for this trade show were over 100,000, however in recent years they have plummeted down to around 60,000. Does this drop in numbers signify the end of an era of successful trade shows? We thought we'd take this opportunity to share with you our thoughts, and how the conference went for SAS-ES.
The global oil industry is recovering, oil prices are stable, and OTC is still recognised as the largest global event for the industry, so you would assume the show would be improving and getting bigger every year? However, attendance numbers actually show a gradual decline each year since 2014, with OTC 2019 recording the lowest numbers yet with only 59,200 attendees.
However, even with this downward trend, OTC 2019 was still a very productive, successful and busy week for SAS-ES. We find OTC is a great opportunity to meet with our clients, and future clients, from the USA but also from further afield, in regions such as Latin America, Africa, and the Middle and Far East. We had some very important face to face meetings with a selection of regional partners and customers from South America, in order to negotiate the crucial details of some substantial onward contracts. We agreed upon, and committed to, strategic routes forward towards commercialisation later this year, busy times ahead of us for sure!
During our time at OTC, SAS-ES were situated at the Scottish Development International stand. We had a lot of visitors come by the stand and ask for us specifically, with people continuously commenting on just how much traffic SAS-ES were getting, so we must be doing something right!
With over 70 Scottish companies exhibiting at the SDI stand it really shows why Scotland's oil and gas industry has a global reputation for innovation. We owe a huge thank you to the amazing team at SDI who organised the trade mission and who worked tirelessly for us during OTC.
So, maybe it is not the case that these figures prove the demise of trade shows, perhaps they just have to be approached slightly differently in order for them to be successful. With less people attending, and therefore less chance of visitors just stumbling across your stand, the days of sitting in your booth waiting on people coming to you are over. We believe quality is better than quantity, but to reach this quality it is crucial to prepare thoroughly before the event.
Here's how we do it:
Advertise that your company is going to be there. Write blogs, post LinkedIn statuses, send out newsletters, add the information to your website, anything you can to get the word out.
Research companies that would be beneficial to meet with. Have a look through the exhibitor list in advance and reach out to anyone that could be of interest, it will keep you busy!
Try and make a plan. We know that events like this it is almost impossible to stick to a schedule but if you have a rough idea of who you are meeting with and when, it is easier to manage your time and make sure you aren't sitting around doing nothing for too long.
Overall it was a very productive and successful week for SAS-ES, making us very excited for things to come. Thank you to all who came to visit us, to all our friends, clients and supporters.
Do you agree or disagree with us? How did you get on at OTC this year? Please do let us know in the comments below and maybe we'll see you at OTC 2020...
This weekend the SAS-ES team are headed to Houston, Texas for The Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) taking place next week! Having attended OTC for the past 19 years we thought we should share with you some of our best advice for the event, which we gained the hard way...
So here are our 4 Top Tips for OTC:
Registration
Most people who attend will head to register at the main NRG centre, meaning the lines are extensive. However, we found a good place to register and usually avoid waiting times is the NRG Arena. Generally, assume that initial parking and registration will take around 1-2 hours at the start of your first day.
TIP: Make sure you pre-register before arriving and bring your print out and photo ID.
Eat & Drink
With so much going on you have to make sure you are maintaining regular food consumption, usually the best eating options are outside. Remember peak times will get very busy, and you may find it difficult to find a seat for yourself and your colleagues/contacts. Beat the rush and the crowds by having lunch either a bitter earlier or later than usual.
TIP: You can find a variety of snacks to keep you going through the day at our booth (#1161).
Remember to Rest
OTC, like Houston, is incredibly spread out and the event will include a LOT of walking, from outdoor exhibits to the NRG arena to the main exhibition halls in the NRG centre. Try to fit in a few visits to booths with seating arrangements strategically throughout your week to rest your sore feet. Also, comfortable shoes are an essential.
TIP: Our booth (#1161) has a lovely area with seats for you to rest at, come and visit!
Plan, Plan, Plan
Tradeshows always need a plan, and massive tradeshows like OTC need a good plan. If you are going to make the most out of your week you need to know who you are meeting, when you are meeting, where the booths you want to visit are located, etc! Make a plan and split up your time wisely over the week, don't cram it all into the first couple of days.
TIP: Always carry your exhibition map, you never know when you could get lost...
We hope this advice can be of help to you over the week, and see you there!
If you're going to be at OTC be sure to come and visit the SAS-ES team. Find us at the Scotland Pavilion in the NRG Centre (Scottish Development International Stand, Booth #1161). If you get lost, just look for the Scottish flag!
If you are interested in arranging a meeting with SAS-ES during OTC, please get in contact.
