Conference Grid

The Wildcat Golf Club’s Lakes Course will play host to the 2011 Offshore Communications Golf Tournament. With rolling fairways, fast greens and the element of water hazards, the Lakes Course will test even the most seasoned golfer.

Check in: 7:00 a.m. Tuesday, November 8

Location: Wildcat Golf Club
12000 Almeda Road
Houston, TX 77045

You can sign up for the Golf Tournament during registration or visit www.offshorecomms.com/golf_signup to sign up for just the Golf Tournament.

Attend this full day session for a comprehensive tutorial of microwave transmission network design, planning and implementation. Useful to engineers, project managers, and other personnel, this seminar will discuss the microwave link engineering, network performance and reliability issues, link protection and diversity, as well as difficult areas for microwave links. The objective is to provide attendees with a good understanding of microwave networks and issues related to path design, equipment and site selection, economic benefits, and time constraints.

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

Refuel your body as you prepare to refuel your mind during the afternoon! One ticket is included with your Conference registration.

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.

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

Last year, Adm. Allen was appointed by President Obama to serve as the National Incident Commander (NIC) for the unified response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a position he held concurrently while finishing his tenure as the Commandant of the Coast Guard. In 2005, Adm. Allen was designated the principal federal office (PFO) for Hurricane Katrina and Rita responses and recovery operations throughout the Gulf region. Adm. Allen will focus on what he’s learned during his service with the United States Coast Guard, and as our nation’s go-to leader when disasters strike. Adm. Allen will share his insights on what communications systems the offshore oil and gas industry must have and offer suggestions as to how the communications service providers, rig owners, operators and government emergency response teams can better communicate. Following his Keynote, Adm. Allen will accept questions from the audience.

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

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

Making its debut at Offshore Communications! Get the insider look into the foundation of the offshore industry—this session focuses on entirely new rig designs coming to market and how these designs will affect the future of offshore communications. Are communications requirements top of mind in the design process? Are communications teams consulted in the design process?

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.

What does the rig of tomorrow look like…in 5 years, 10 years and 25 years? Is it mobile? Is it unmanned? We gave this panel the freedom to dream and present what they see as the biggest trends driving the future of offshore drilling and more importantly how those trends will affect the communications technology on land, offshore and everywhere in between. From RFID, to HD video to Real-Time Operations and more, this no holds barred session will push us all to think big.

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

This session aims to close the business case on implementing a fiber network solution offshore. To date, the industry has typically viewed offshore fiber networks as IT infrastructure and see this primarily as a cost center, but this panel will examine ownership and funding models, new technologies a fiber network can support and how to future-proof your fiber network for expansion. In addition, the session will address what role satellite plays in a fiber-networked environment and how to increase the number of assets using a single fiber connection.

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 oil and gas market – be it on land, in brown water or in deep offshore environments. Extreme environments, ultra remote locations are right up these vendors alley…come see what they have to offer and let’s put them to the test!

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.

Attend this cutting-edge breakfast session to hear where the oil and gas industry stands today and what new policies and regulations are being put in place. The National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) will present their industry report’s findings and answer…What is the full impact of the offshore oil and gas industry on the economy, historically and now, post-Macondo? What new regulations and guidelines have been set post-Macondo? What regions will the biggest growth take place in the next 3-5 years?

Oil and gas CIOs, CTOS, communications managers, network engineers and IT teams have it tough. They need to implement secure, fast and reliable communications systems to monitor drilling activity, track production and provide a link to the corporate office onshore. Beyond that, communications are named as one of the key drivers of crew retention and recruitment as crews have come to expect their level of connectivity to Facebook, Skype, their online banking, and Netflix movies to match what they have at home regardless of where they are stationed. Add in new regulations post-Macondo, FCC’s narrowbanding mandate for LMR and intrinsically safe radio equipment and you'll realize finding the right communications solutions, with adequate bandwidth within budget, is no small feat. This panel of energy sector end-users will share their day-to-day challenges, what's listed as a must-have and nice-to-have in their RFPs and what new applications are driving their communications needs.

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

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

Back by popular demand! This unique forum brings together drilling contractors to discuss the trials and triumphs in the field. Find out how drilling contractors are overcoming inherent communications challenges posed by extremely remote environments, what technology solutions are on their wish list, and how the communications needs drilling contractors coincide and/or conflict with the service contractors and rig operators by attending this dynamic session.

With claims that Ka-band is cheaper and better by far than Ku-band, is Ka-band the game changer for the future of offshore communications? Many say it is, but are end-users getting the full story and is the satellite industry setting the correct expectations? Will Ka-band antennas be cheaper, smaller, lighter and more portable than Ku? What applications and environments make sense for Ka-band, and are there times when another solution is a better choice? One challenge faced by Ka-band systems is their susceptibility to rain fade—how can this be overcome?

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.

Wireless broadband solutions are often touted as the affordable choice to connect platforms and vessels in close proximity. But how do you choose between an LTE network or WiMAX? Do LTE and WiMAX always have to be an either/or proposition, or can there be a hybrid solution with WiMAX providing backhaul? How accessible is 4G and when will 5G be attainable? This session covers all things broadband and focuses on case study examples of successful installations offshore and on land.