Taking into account the significant changes that have occurred in the oil and gas sector on the back of depressed commodity prices, AOG organiser Diversified Communications undertook unprecedented discussions with key industry participants following the staging of AOG 2016 earlier this year.
Alongside the feedback on subjects such as the future direction of the industry and what event activities participants and attendees are looking for, Diversified also received a powerful vote of support from key stakeholders within industry and government.
“This has been a remarkable opportunity for us to hear first-hand from those working at the coal face about where they believe the local oil and gas sector is heading in the short term and what they value most from major events like AOG,”? AOG Event Director at Diversified Communications Bill Hare said.
What this has led to is an AOG 2017 exhibition and conference that literally the “industry has built.”?
“We really took the feedback we received from the industry onboard and you will see some really exciting adaptions to the AOG format in 2017,”? Mr Hare said.
The most noticeable change is the decision to remove the traditional two day conference and to replace it with a range of high-level forums over three days.
These will be staged right on the exhibition floor – with AOG placing a major focus on collaboration and innovation between all industry participants.
There will be three forums featured at AOG 2017, with the content shaped by input from industry and in particular AOG’s high profile content committee members. The three forum topics selected for 2017 are:
- Collaboration Forum – Hosted by Woodside, NERA, Accenture and the WA Department of Commerce, this Forum will focus on enhancing collaboration between operators, contractors and the supply chain, driving greater understanding of challenges and access to opportunities;
- Subsea Forum – In conjunction with the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT), Subsea Energy Australia (SEA) and Subsea UK, this Forum will focus on how the Australian Subsea industry adjusts to the challenges and opportunities in the current market; and
- Knowledge Forum – This Forum aims to educate, inspire and inform by bringing specialised industry sectors together to discuss the latest techniques and technology that will enable the industry to overcome both current and future challenges.
“We’ve already had really positive feedback for this innovation,”? Mr Hare said. “Exhibitors in particular are really impressed by the fact that there will be such a dynamic range of activities on the Expo floor, ensuring strong interaction between forum attendees and exhibitors.”?
Significantly, the Forums will be free to attend, with Diversified supporting the industry’s desire to reduce costs in a “lower for longer”? oil price environment. It has also reduced exhibition stand space charges quite substantially.
AOG exhibitors have also welcomed the confirmation that next year’s event will once again feature a number of specialist “Zones”? on the exhibition floor, covering key topics such as subsea, health, safety and environment, NDT and condition monitoring, instrumentation control and automation. Also, new for 2017, asset management and maritime.
This will ensure that the 2017 Expo will be a truly unique oil and gas event in this region, with a strong intent to cater for anyone that is involved in the oil and gas industry or is interested in learning more about it.
“One of the things that quite clearly came out of the consultation with industry is that AOG remains a critical event on the annual oil and gas industry event calendar, particularly as it is seen as being a major conduit for the presentation of new ideas and innovations, while fostering collaboration between operators and suppliers – and the Forums and our industry zones certainly achieve that,”? Mr Hare said.
With a big international contingent already confirming its participation and strong local support in place – stand space is quickly filling up for AOG 2017, which will be held for the 36th time in 2017.