In 1969, the Beatles played their final concert and recorded their last album, Abbey Road. Also in that year was the first Offshore Technology Conference. In May, OTC celebrated its 45th year and welcomed more than 90,000 attendees from all over the world to Houston’s NRG Park with a “Come Together” theme that gave a nod to the Fab Four’s No. 1 hit of the same name.

“We provide the venue and unique opportunities for leaders, engineers, scientists, professionals, manufacturers, investors and entrepreneurs to come together to see the state of the art of our industry and explore new opportunities,” said Doreen Chin of Shell E&P, who served as chairwoman of this year’s technical program. “It is a global community of professionals with common needs and challenges.”

That global community represents more than 120 countries, Chin said, making OTC “the largest energy-related technology conference in the world.” That’s what makes this year’s theme so fitting, she said.

Putting together such a large conference that entertains the world’s offshore elite takes a great coordinated effort. Chin said this year’s OTC Program Committee was comprised of 14 subcommittees—24 members representing 12 sponsor organizations, with the chair and vice chair of 12 subcommittees that comprise more than 200 subcommittee members—in addition to two special task committees.

For OTC 2014, planners brought onboard new sessions, including an event with former astronaut Mike Bloomfield, now vice president and general manager of Oceaneering Space Systems. As more subsea projects come online, companies are looking to NASA to partner with them in the exploration of new frontiers, she said.

Conference chairman Ed Stokes, project coordination manager—offshore at ConocoPhillips, said that in the days leading up to the show, his own excitement was palpable.

“OTC today isn’t just the planning for and the annual execution of the conference in Houston. It is the management of four global conferences,” he said, adding, “I’m excited about the anniversary since it signifies and confirms the great visions that people who created OTC had in the late ’60s. Furthermore, it shows that the collaborative model among engineering and geoscience societies and trade organizations is still meeting the needs of our society members, exhibitors and attendees.”

After serving two years as vice chairman, Stokes took the reins of the chairmanship at the closing of the 2013 conference.

OTC vice chairman Joe Fowler, president of Stress Engineering Services, said the conference’s long-term success is a result of cooperation among the 13 professional societies and two industry groups that sponsor it.

“Rarely, if ever, in the engineering profession does such a broad and diverse group of technical people and trade groups comes together to share the latest, greatest and most important technical achievements of the entire industry,” he said. “To me, the greatest duty of the officers is to continue that cooperation.”

OTC’s success has permitted conference planners to expand its offerings over the years. Stokes noted the addition of the annual dinner, at which OTC Distinguished Awards are distributed. Proceeds from the event support “a national or international charity that is making a difference in the world,” he said.

Other additions have included networking events, such as Women in the Industry Sharing Experiences, and three global conferences: OTC Brasil, the Arctic Technology Conference and OTC Asia.

“Over the next 25 years, energy demand is estimated to increase by about 30%,” Stokes said. “This additional energy will have to come from many places. Deepwater is going to be one of them.

“There is simply no other choice but for us to continue to do all we can to help stimulate the growth of our industry by facilitating the exchange of knowledge through networking, sharing lessons learned, encouraging the development of new technology and education [of] young people [who are] considering joining our industry, as well as the public in general. Through this we will be able globally to provide the energy the world needs and do it in a safe, sustainable and environmentally friendly way.”

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