The 1851 Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations was considered by many to be the first world's fair. The international exhibition was the first of a series of world's fairs designed to highlight global advancements in technology while featuring advancements made in the UK, according to Exhibit City News, A Glimpse of Trade Show History.
In oil and gas trade show history, the International Petroleum Exposition (IPE) was established in 1923 to exhibit the latest industry technology and provide a venue for oilmen to purchase up-to-date equipment, while educating workers and the public, according to the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. The first show, called the International Petroleum Exposition & Congress, was held near downtown Tulsa on Oct. 8-14, 1923.
The following year the event was moved to the old Tulsa circus grounds, where it remained until 1927, when it found a permanent home on acreage leased from the Tulsa State Fair. IPE was held annually from 1923 through 1930 and grew in attendance from a few thousand to more than 120,000. US President Calvin Coolidge opened the 1927 exposition from the White House by pressing a button that caused a simulated gusher to blow wild on the IPE grounds.
In the October-November 1928 edition of the Lufkin Line, IPE was referred to as the World's Fair of the Oil Industry. It displayed more than $10 million worth of exhibits. Two special trains were arranged to and from Fort Worth for 300 oilmen with passenger reservations.
In 1930, IPE was moved to May so that it would not conflict with the Tulsa State Fair. Poor economic conditions caused the show to be held only in 1930, 1934, 1936, 1938, and 1940. After 1940, World War II caused activities to be suspended until 1948.
In 1948, when the exposition opened for the first time since the beginning of WWII, it attracted more than 300,000 visitors. But due to competition from other such events, plus logistical and financial difficulties, the exposition's board of directors voted to hold it every 5 years in a number of buildings on 20-plus acres at the fairgrounds. Shows were held in 1953, 1959, 1966, 1971, 1976, and 1979. During the 1950s and 1960s the venue continued to draw in excess of 300,000 attendees.
In 1966, the IPE buildings were demolished, a 10-acre exhibition hall was constructed, and Mid-Continent Supply Co. placed the 8-story-tall Golden Driller statue at the entrance. This exhibition attracted the largest attendance in the history of IPE and its future seemed promising. The oil slump of the 1970s combined with competition from the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston caused the event to lose money in both 1976 and 1979. After a dismal attendance of 26,000 people in 1979, the 57-year-old IPE was canceled for good.
Conferences today, variety
In October 2013, The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) brought together the oil and gas community for the first-ever ECITB Project Management Conference: Bridging the Knowledge Gap. This conference brought together North Sea oil and gas companies to discuss how to bridge the gap between the theory and knowledge of "how to do projects" and to address the perception that too few projects are delivered on time, meet the customers' expectations, and come in on budget.
The OSHA Oil & Gas Conference gathers key decision-makers within management and executive positions to foster a better understanding of how industry and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration can work together to improve safety performance. It will be held Dec. 2-3, 2014, in Houston.
Also in Houston is the World LNG Fuels Conference Jan. 21-23, 2014. Attendees will learn about contenders in the competition to lead each market vertical: oil and gas, marine, highway trucking, rail, mining and industry power and LNG's progress in capturing drilling, fracturing and heavy-haul OFS markets.
PennWell, Oil & Gas Journal's parent company, has a list of industry conferences that can be found at www.ogj.com/event-listing.html.