For more than five decades, the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston has been a gathering point for the global oil and gas industry. The pandemic forced the show to be cancelled in 2020 and a restricted version was held in 2021. But, with OTC back in full swing again in May, we went along to find out how exhibitor attitudes and approaches had changed in the last two years.

Getting back in the room

What matters more, quality or quantity? It’s a question that we often ask clients, particularly when it comes to appearing in the media. Is it better to have more eyeballs on your company and its offering or fewer eyeballs which belong to the people we want to influence?

We want to sell, right?

It’s important to think about what the end goal is – ultimately it’s about selling your stuff, which will only happen if the right people see your message. It’s something that came through rather starkly at the recent Offshore Technology Conference (OTC), which returned to a somewhat more traditional format in Houston, Texas.

While the number of people visiting this year’s exhibition dropped from 59,000 in 2019 – the last full staging of the event before covid – to 24,000, the talk remained positive.

1,064 companies from 39 countries exhibiting was markedly down on previous years, but key buying influencers were still in attendance in large numbers – and they were still agreeing multi-million dollar contracts.

Cautious return to the hall

For example, I spoke with one exhibitor on Day 2 of the five-day show about whether they thought it was worth going to the expense of having a booth. There was a sense of uncertainty and whether it was something they would consider doing again next year given the low attendance.

However, the reaction from the same company on Day 3 was different. All because they had agreed one contract and were close to another that would make C-Suite more than happy due to a healthy return on investment.

Playing the long game

Even if deals weren’t signed, sealed and delivered during the week, the opportunity to connect and reconnect with people they haven’t necessarily been able to in recent times will strengthen relations and will likely reap its rewards in the months ahead.

To cut a long story short, the right people were in the right place. For many, this meant that an array of conversations that could take months to line up in teams calls could all be packed into a couple of days.

Stacking the odds

It’s something that is pertinent across marketing activity. Getting in front of lots of people either on social media, offline media or on websites is all well and good.

But if you are reaching potentially millions of people and the majority of them are not going to buy your products or service, you are doing something wrong.

You’re thinking about the opportunity to be seen, rather than the opportunity to influence.

A room full of the right people is more useful to us than a global audience of the disinterested.

As exemplified at OTC, it only takes one fish to bite for the whole thing to be worthwhile.

Find out how Fifth Ring’s global reach can help build your brand and sell more of your stuff by getting in touch today.