Technology development and innovation are part of the energy industry’s DNA – says ONS CEO
Stavanger, 20 April 2017 – ONS announces the main theme for next year’s event, ONS 2018. The main theme is INNOVATE. “With the theme, we aim to set the direction for the discussions at our seven conference
arenas, and to address relevant challenges and opportunities for the energy industry,” says President and CEO of ONS, Leif Johan Sevland.
The theme usually gives inspiration to many exhibitors when they develop the concept for their exhibition space. The themes for ONS 2014 and ONS 2016 were Changes and Transition.
“We aim for the theme to be positive, forward-looking and relevant to all the exhibitors, visitors and conference delegates at ONS. With Innovate I believe we have accomplished that, and I look very much forward to hearing how it is received in the energy industry,” Sevland says.
Reflections on the main theme for ONS 2018: INNOVATE
There is one thing the entire energy industry has in common: our approach to challenges. No matter what the problem is, we know it is possible to solve it – if we innovate.
The energy industry has a talent for re-inventing itself, over and over again, as an answer to whatever challenge lies ahead. The challenges we face now are complicated. They involve the obligation to deliver energy to the world’s population, but at the same time to protect the planet. They involve new technology, new forms of leadership and new business models. So let’s innovate!
Technology doesn’t just evolve. People innovate.
Finding and producing energy is complex, demanding, expensive and sometimes almost
impossible. That is why some oil and gas fields have been left untouched for decades since they were discovered – to give the innovative people of the industry time to overcome the obstacles. By helping technology to evolve. By innovating. Technology development and innovation are part of the energy industry’s DNA.
However, new technologies and trends disrupt most of the world’s industries, and dramatically escalate the pace of change and transition. How will digital industrialisation, robots and automatisation affect the energy industry going forward? Where do opportunities arise in this landscape, and how can suppliers and operators benefit from the new technologies?
Innovate a clean energy world
Making energy cheaper, cleaner and better. It is a challenge that is crying out for technology. Not just new technology, but also developing existing solutions further and using them in new ways. Cost reduction has been one of the big tasks for both traditional and new forms of energy. Giant leaps have been made, but how do we keep cost levels low when the oil price increases again? The renewable and oil and gas industries must both find their place in a common energy system – but how?
The demand for cleaner energy by end users and the global community is already affecting the markets – and the industry is stepping up the game. When will sustainability become the biggest business advantage and how can the oil and gas players stay competitive in the long perspective? How do we create an industry young people will be proud to be a part of in the future?
Shuffle the building blocks of business
We have started collaborating in new ways, across value chains and industries. But it is still possible to innovate more in the way we cooperate. Can sharing more technology speed up the pace of innovation and be an advantage for clean energy solutions? How do we cooperate better and at the same time be competitors in the market?
A rapidly developing energy world is testing the resilience of our business models. Is it time to dismantle the building blocks of business, add some new ones, and create something completely different? Let us innovate.
Stimulate to innovate
In an ever-changing geopolitical landscape, the focus on energy security is stronger than ever, as well as the need to protect the planet. This is not just the responsibility of 3 governments, but lies very much in the hands of private corporations with the power to change the status quo.
We need leaders who are engineers of the future and facilitate a culture of innovation within their companies. New leadership models and strategies are in high demand to tackle a cyclical market and disruptive trends. Do the leaders of today have the tools and authority to make an impact, or are they restricted by demands to deliver profit in the near future?
Everyone has an obligation to contribute
A sustainable and profitable energy industry is what everyone wants and what the world needs. How do we protect the environment and still maintain jobs and competitive businesses? How do we accelerate progress and make a positive impact for the future?
Well, we have to innovate.
About ONS
ONS is one of the world’s leading energy events, and is held every second year in Stavanger, Norway.
Key figures from ONS 2016:
• 65 718 participants from the global energy industry.
• 500 speakers on 7 conference arenas
• 23 000 sq .m of exhibition space
• 1 241 companies from 40 countries
• 20 000 at the ONS Concert
• The next event will be held 27 – 30 August 2018
