Conference Schedule

The Offshore Communications Golf Tournament has become a favorite tradition for attendees and exhibitors alike. What better way to spend a temperate morning than on the golf course? You'll enjoy a breakfast buffet, lunch, unlimited networking opportunities and friendly competition in a round of Texas Scramble! Advance registration is required for the golf tournament.

This tutorial will review the fundamental building blocks that lead to understanding the latest generation of receivers, transmitters and modulation systems used in mobile radio, microwave, satellite WiFi, WiMAX, HSPA and LTE and other OFDMA/ FDMA/TDMA systems. The objective is to provide engineers, technicians and project managers with a fundamental understanding of radio receivers/transmitters and the modulation and coding used to convey information in existing and emerging communications systems. The tutorial will include practical examples of basic and advanced receive/transmitter design.

Enjoy a quick break to refuel and spend quality time with your colleagues - included with your Conference registration!

As the official kick off to Offshore Communications, the Ice Breaker Reception is consistently one of the most popular networking events at Offshore Communications! You'll have the opportunity to connect and collaborate with colleagues across all disciplines in the oil and gas community! One ticket is included with your Conference or Expo Only registration.

The perfect start to any morning is a hot cup of coffee and a full stomach! Included with your registration.

Implementing communications networks for offshore facilities is a difficult task. With your participation, this roundtable will provide insight into the solutions that leading energy companies and service providers use to optimize their operations and the technologies they hope to leverage in the future. The Energy Sector Roundtable is an open forum session to facilitate discussion between attendees and speakers. Consistently rated the most popular session of the conference, you can direct the conversations to find insight and advice to your toughest challenges.

Refuel and reconnect with colleagues as you enjoy refreshments and food on the Exposition show floor.

More than 65 companies will be on hand to showcase their latest products, applications and technology for communications in an offshore environment.

You asked for it and we delivered! A session exclusively focused on the communications needs, wants and dreams of drilling contractors. Attend this one-of-a-kind forum to hear the challenges and successes of a panel comprised of drilling contractors and benefit from sharing lessons-learned. How do the communications needs of drilling contractors compare to the needs of the rig operators and owners? What technologies are in high demand for drilling contractors? How much coordination is done on the front end with the other players on the rig?

Sit down to a hot lunch and fill your stomach as you fill your contact book! One ticket is included with your Conference registration. Additional tickets can be purchased when registering.

From the Gulf of Mexico to the North Sea, oil and drilling companies are turning to WiMax installations as an affordable way to connect platforms, rigs and fleets. Hear first hand from companies who have completed installations, what challenges they overcame and how WiMax was part of their integrated solution.

Enjoy refreshments on the Exposition show floor as you peruse the communications solutions offered by exhibiting companies.

Drilling globally presents an expansive set of challenges from language barriers to mounds of paperwork to licensing and regulatory issues. Communications system installations are not immune to these challenges and as an integral component of the rig, it is important your ducks are in a row and accounted for. This session will focus on key regions, roadblocks faced in each region and offer best practices and insider tips to keep business moving forward. What work permits are necessary to begin installations? Do import regulations affect the equipment on your rig? What do you need to think about once you have feet on the ground?

It’s fast, it’s fun, it’s a furious 6 minutes where vendors will hawk their wares. This session focuses on vendors serving the global markets – Australia, Africa, Poland, Kazakhstan, Brazil and more. Learn more about the leading vendors in each region, what they offer and how it can make your job easier.

Exhibitors and attendees will mix and mingle with colleagues and business associates in a relaxed and informal atmosphere with great food, drinks and entertainment. One ticket is included with your Conference or Expo Only registration.

Gear up for the last day with a hot cup of coffee and a full stomach! Included with your registration.

Emergency response and disaster recovery communications have always been a priority for rig owners, operators, drilling contractors and service providers. But with two recent explosions on platforms in the gulf, there’s no question that the demands, needs and applications for communications equipment and bandwidth changed. As we approach six months after the Deepwater Horizon incident, what lessons can be learned from the response effort? How will communication requirements for future installations change and improve? What new procedures and standards will be put in place on the owner, operator and service provider levels?

More than 65 companies will be on hand to showcase their latest products, applications and technology for communications in an offshore environment.

Mix and mingle with colleagues and exhibiting companies as you recharge for the afternoon.

Maintaining crew welfare and safety requires new technologies that can keep up with increasing demands, both from a younger workforce and in harsh working conditions. WiFi allows crew members to Skype home, pay bills online and access the internet when and where they want it. RFID Technology can enhance crew safety, tracking their movements and monitoring the equipment around them. Video demand will grow as video conferencing, telemedicine and surveillance become staples on the rig. How can these technologies be integrated on the rig? What new demands are being put on communications, network and IT managers to keep up with a tech-hungry crew on the rig? This session will focus on the communications systems put in place on rigs built for tomorrow as well as technologies that can bring the rig of yesterday into the 21st century.

Complete your networking experience and dine with experts, thought leaders and fellow colleagues in the offshore communications community. One ticket is included with your Conference registration. Additional tickets can be purchased when registering.

Forced to go in deeper waters and further from shore, the Oil and Gas Operators are placing more and more emphasis on integrated operations driven from onshore control centers, limiting the need for local manpower and expertise onboard the offshore assets. Highly reliable communications solutions are required to enable Oil and Gas Companies to safely operate these remote fields. Large bandwidth and low latency fiber links between the offshore facilities and the shore are becoming essential. How do you build redundancy into a fiber network? What are the options for ownership or procurement of a fiber network? What steps should you take to future proof your new installations? Are there high bandwidth, low latency alternatives to fiber?

Back by popular demand! This session pits VSAT and MSS solutions against each other. In this highly competitive market, there is strong demand for new data services in the offshore market for both business connectivity and crew welfare. Customers also demand that their communications providers justify required investments in new equipment in terms of future savings, and increased efficiencies. How well are VSAT and MSS providers responding to this challenge? What are the new developments from each camp in maritime broadband? How has the Deepwater Horizon incident affected the market demand?

The Offshore Communications BBQ is our way of showing our appreciation to the attendees, exhibitors and sponsors who have helped make our 10th anniversary possible!