Founded in 1973 as Offshore Scotland, SPE '
Offshore Europe
'' is a biennial conference and exhibition that takes place in

Aberdeen, Scotland Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeenshire, but is now separate from the council area of Aberdeenshire. Aberd ...

. The event focuses on upstream oil and gas production and has grown into one of the largest events of its kind in Europe. The event attracts visitors and exhibitors from around the world; 119 countries were represented at the 2019 event.

Areas of Industry

The exhibition is held across multiple halls at

P&J Live P&J Live (also known as The Event Complex Aberdeen) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Aberdeen, Scotland. Opened in August 2019, it offers a capacity for all types of shows and events from 5,000 to 15,000. Replacing the former Aberdeen Exhibiti ...

with large temporary structures constructed to accommodate such a large number of exhibitors. Exhibits are dedicated to a specific area of the industry that is of particular interest at the time, with a focus on

energy transition An energy transition (or energy system transformation) is a major structural change to energy supply and consumption in an energy system. Currently, a transition to sustainable energy is underway to limit climate change. Most of the sustainab ...

. Zones featured include deep-water and Intelligent Energy, which was so popular it developed into its own event. In 2017 hall 6 featured the Decommissioning Zone for the first time in collaboration with industry association Decom North Sea.

Local Impact

The event brings a large influx of visitors to the city with OE2007 bringing an estimated £25m to the local economy.

Records

* Attendees - over 63,000 in 2013 * Exhibitors - 1,542 in 2015 * Countries Represented - 119 in 2019

Notable attendees

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

, the then Prime Minister opened the 1985 event in the new venue the AECC *

Alex Salmond Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond ( ; 31 December 1954 – 12 October 2024) was a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure in the Scottish nationalist movement, he was Leader of the Sc ...

, the Leader of the Scottish National Party attended the 1999 event and spoke at the gala opening in 2013 *

George Osborne George Gideon Oliver Osborne (born 23 May 1971) is a British retired politician and newspaper editor who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2010 to 2016 and as First Secretary of State from 2015 to 2016 in the Cameron government. A ...

, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer spoke in the Opening Plenary Session in 2013 *

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

, attended in 2013 to encourage more females to enter the industry * Brian Cox, spoke in the Opening Plenary Session in 2015 *Martin Reid, 1985

References

{{Reflist Business conferences