With the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) approaching, energy professionals from across the globe are planning to meet at NRG Park to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for the safe, environmentally friendly and sustainable development of offshore oil and gas resources.

This year, all the excitement from the four-day conference will provide a prelude to OTC’s newest event, d5. Dubbed “the next big thing,” d5 will be held the day after the conference concludes, May 8, at the University of Houston. d5 will be unlike any other offshore energy industry event. It will bring together the most creative professionals from inside and outside the industry to create an environment of innovation and inspiration to address the industry’s biggest current and future challenges.

Why d5?

d5 was born out of the realization that we are in the midst of a global technology boom that will profoundly change how the offshore energy industry works. The industry is entering a time where the technological possibilities exceed imagination. There are tremendous opportunities just waiting to be plucked if the industry can get beyond the “this is how we’ve always done it” mindset and broaden its thinking. d5 is designed to jump-start the industry’s creativity by highlighting exciting developments in other industries and discussing how they could apply to our work.

d5 will encourage us to step back, look at the big picture and determine various ways to do things more effectively. The sharing of knowledge across different aspects of the industry is always an effective way to improve processes. d5 is expected to capitalize on this principle by bringing together a diverse group of professionals that will engage in dialogue outside the industry norm.

Although d5 was created before the recent drop in oil prices, it’s clear that tackling these topics is now more important than ever. The industry has the big question of “what now” to collectively answer.

d5’s agenda

d5 provides a new presentation format for OTC. It will feature motivational and technology speakers primarily from outside the industry who were handpicked based on their incredible innovative achievements.

The new program will cover three areas of emphasis critical to the energy community. The first, business, will examine issues such as the energy outlook, challenges and opportunities, energy economics, startups, the environment, competitive advantage and winning strategies. The second area, technology, will focus on innovation, game-changing capabilities, science and big data. Finally, the third area of focus will be people and will focus on topics such as motivation, sense of purpose, risks, health and productivity and workplace culture.

d5’s immersive experience will take attendees beyond just presentations, as it also will feature interactive group discussions intended to spur the type of creativity needed to identify the next big step for the industry.

d5’s speakers

Speakers from various industries outside of E&P will share time at the podium, and attendees should expect to come away with innovative ideas for ways of doing business more effectively that they had not previously considered.

A few of d5’s world-renowned speakers include:

  • Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, world-famous political scientist and author of the best-selling book, “The Skeptical Environmentalist;”
  • Jane McGonigal, a leading speaker on the engagement economy and the application of game-design to the real world as well as the author of “Reality Is Broken: How Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World,” a New York Times bestseller;
  • Mike Abrashoff, former commander of the USS Benfold, a Naval war ship;
  • Michael Bloomfield, former NASA astronaut and ex-officio member of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board;
  • Lisa Bodell, futurethink founder, globally recognized innovation leader, futurist and author; and
  • Juan Enriquez, one of the world’s leading authorities on the uses and benefits of genomic research.

We expect d5 to complement OTC in terms of content and focus. It seeks to expose professionals to rapid and disruptive technological advancements in other industries and spark creativity by encouraging nonlinear development of the industry’s future.

The future of the energy industry will be challenging, and we are looking for inspiration and ideas. For more information about d5, visit 2015.otcnet.org/d5 or the OTC events booth at S19 in Lobby C of the NRG Center.