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Since 1985, the Oil Sand Trade Show and Conference has been a forerunner in gathering the industry together. In recent years, the decline of the industry has forced companies to reimagine how they do business – and the Oil Sands Trade Show is no exception. Since purchasing the event from dmg events in 2017, Wes Scott of EventWorx Corporation says, “We simply could not continue to run the event in the same format, much like energy companies are having to reinvent how they operate.” Delivering what service companies want (the right people attending), and what attendees want (education, training, live demonstrations) is about striking the balance to ensuring the trade show genre survives.
“We have spent a lot of time talking to exhibitors and attendees, to help us shape a new focus, to a more grass-roots approach,” said Scott. The event, which is the ultimate showcase of oil sands innovations and technologies, will run September 11-12 at the Suncor Community Leisure Centre in Fort McMurray.
One of the things Scott and his team are focusing on is the expectations that attendees have, which has changed over the years. “What people want from an event like the Oil Sands Trade Show and Conference is evolving. They don’t want to just come and walk the aisles – they don’t have time for that. They need solutions to their business challenges; and with that they want many more educational choices. They need to be able to come to an event and have their questions answered, and problems solved. Business, maintenance and operational efficiencies are key.”
Through research and feedback the theme for 2018 event is “Planning the Future: The Shift Towards the Next Generation of Oil Sands Production.” The event will attract 300 exhibiting companies, with emphasis on educating attendees in an interactive, dynamic format, featuring workshops, a full 2-day conference and the Meet the Experts series. Attendees will have access to a parade of experts on a variety of different topics across the oil sands supply chain. Informal discussion through interactive displays between the service companies and the attendees will replace the usual doldrums of walking a trade show booth-to-booth.
A series of technical presentations on topics including Environmental Solutions; Digital Oil Sands; Instrumentation, Systems, Automation, Maintenance and Operations, Shutdown and Turnaround, WorkSafe Strategies, as well as advancement technologies in in-situ drilling, and minding round out the educational component.
New to the Show is the Conference Mainstage, hosted on the Exhibition Floor, free to everyone for qualified industry registrants. Keynote Speakers with interactive panel discussions will replace the usual ‘talking heads’ format, and include such topics as Facility Project Updates; Leading Indigenous Inclusion in Oil Sands Development; Northern Business Development; Government Updates and Diversification Plans; Business and Operating Efficiencies, and Organizational Shifts Towards Next Generation Automation.
“We also find that exhibiting is not for every company, but they want a role in the event; so EventWorx has also evolved the networking events. The event will also provide hosting opportunities for companies to invite their customers for their own sessions such breakfast briefings, lunch-and-learns and private receptions, but in a very cost effective way” explains Scott.
“Business still needs to be done face-face – we can’t always hide behind email or the internet. We look forward to generating a refreshed platform for both companies and individuals to get together to find innovative supply chain challenges.”
For more information, visit https://oilsandstradeshow.com/
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