Offshore Europe’s long-awaited return to Aberdeen is not just impacting energy firms, but boosting all kinds of businesses.
The show, which starts at P&J Live today, is expected to bring in more than £50million for the North-east.
The Society of Petroleum Engineers’ (SPE) Offshore Europe oil and gas conference and exhibition is undoubtedly the biggest event on the region’s energy industry calendar.
Hotels rooms are snapped up quickly, and many bars and restaurants in and around Aberdeen see a surge in bookings.
Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce policy director Ryan Crighton shared insight into recent analysis.
Mr Crighton said: “This is the moment where the eyes of the global energy sector are trained on Aberdeen and big business deals get done – deals which provide valuable contracts and work for companies here.
“The show draws tens of thousands of people and more than £50m to the north-east economy, with each international delegate spending around £1,200.”
According to SPE, 38,000 people attended the last Offshhore Europe event in 2019. The Covid pandemic kept the normally biennial show away in 2021.
Asked about the likely turnout this week, SPE told the Press & Journal: “We can’t be certain of attendance numbers until after the show closes and the entry numbers are tallied. Current expectations are for around 35,000 attendees over the four days.”