The triple-thump beat of collaboration, innovation and standardization has reverberated across the global oil and gas industry over the past few years. The staggering downward shift in the market kicked the intensity up a few notches—from “nice to have” to “absolute necessity”—and the response has been swift. Competitors are embracing collaboration. New ways of tackling old challenges are being uncovered while the philosophy of “design one, build many” flourishes.

As the gates of NRG Park open on the 46th Offshore Technology Conference, thousands of attendees from more than 130 countries—representing all fields in the offshore energy industry—will spend the week embracing the beat, soaking up the knowledge shared on projects like Anadarko’s Lucius megaproject or the success of the Bonga North West brownfield project and more.

Coordinating the efforts of hosting one of the world’s largest offshore energy events falls to the members of the OTC Program Committee. The committee comprises 14 subcommittees staffed with volunteers from 26 sponsoring, endorsing or supporting organizations.

“OTC is going to be a great program this year, starting with the annual dinner on Sunday [followed by] the technical sessions, panels, breakfasts and luncheons, and networking events Monday through Thursday, to Friday, when we have a new event called d5 at the University of Houston,” said Dan McConnell of Fugro, this year’s technical program chairman. “There is a tremendous amount of rich and compelling content for people to experience at OTC.”

This year, the program committee received a record-setting 1,313 proposals for the technical program. According to OTC, the 2015 technical program covers a wide range of offshore energy topics, including project updates, technology improvements and advances, collaboration between competitors, HSE and future-thinking topics.

The topics will be covered in presentations of more than 325 technical papers, 15 keynote breakfasts and 14 keynote luncheons, four ePoster sessions and 11 panel sessions. A few program highlights that McConnell noted include:

  • “Emerging Offshore Technology Trends: More Value from Technology and Faster Cycle Times” presented by James Dupree of BP on Monday, May 4, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.;
  • “Deepwater Exploration: a View Forward” presented by Bob Fryklund of IHS on Monday, May 4, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.;
  • “Shell Arctic: Strategies for the New Prospective” presented by Ann Pickard of Royal Dutch Shell on Tuesday, May 5, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.; and
  • “The Onshore Shale Revolution, Is It Spindletop All over Again?” presented by Torstein Hole of Statoil on Wednesday, May 6, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.

New this year is d5, scheduled for the day after OTC 2015 on Friday, May 8, from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the University of Houston. The event is designed to spark creativity and innovation in the offshore energy.

For young professionals attending OTC 2015, speakers like Patricia Vega, president and CEO of GE Oil and Gas, Latin America, will encourage attendees to think globally and about how they can make the greatest impact in the industry. Scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., on Monday, May 4, the Next Wave program will, in addition to Vega’s keynote presentation, include a panel of top thinkers, industry leaders and government experts led by Sophie Hildebrand of BP. They will offer their advice and encouragement to the next generation. The event provides excellent networking opportunities for young professionals and is a great way to start the OTC week, according to McConnell.

Thousands of mobile networking opportunities abound during the week. All it takes to identify one is a business card, a friendly smile and a handshake. And while the exhibit hall floor is an enormous target-rich area for networking, to help the process along in a more focused approach, the OTC Networking Subcommittee has arranged a number of special events aimed at getting to know your fellow attendees better. McConnell flagged the following events as “must do”:

  • “Women in Industry Sharing Experiences” on Monday, May 4, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.;
  • “Pursuing Opportunities in the Brazilian Market” on Tuesday, May 5, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.; and
  • “Subsurface Integration: Where Engineering and Geoscience Meet” on Wednesday, May 6, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The best and brightest are set to take home this year’s OTC Distinguished Achievement awards, the OTC Heritage Award and the Spotlight on New Technology awards, cementing their spot in OTC history. The OTC Heritage and Distinguished Achievement awards were scheduled to be presented Sunday night during the OTC Annual Dinner. The Spotlight on New Technology presentation will take place on Monday, May 4, at 4 p.m. in the NRG Center.