Exhibitions are more than networking opportunities. At their best, they are economic indicators, reflections of where investment is flowing, where confidence lies, and where the next wave of opportunity will emerge.
Having attended Offshore Europe in Aberdeen, OGA in Kuala Lumpur and Gastech in Milan, I was struck by how sharply those contrasts are playing out across the global energy industry.
Offshore Europe
this year was scaled down, yet the halls were filled with resilience and optimism. The spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship remains strong. But the backdrop is unavoidable: in the UK, political uncertainty continues to undermine investment decisions. Policy is creating hesitation where demand drivers should be creating momentum. The result is a “fight, flight or freeze” mentality that risks holding back the domestic energy industry in all its forms, despite its clear potential.
Contrast that with OGA. Fourteen international pavilions underlined the scale of global interest in Southeast Asia, where energy demand is rising fast and policy is built on certainty of population growth and increased demand. Governments and businesses alike are signalling confidence in the region’s trajectory. OGA is not just a showcase of Malaysia’s sector, but a regional platform covering Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and beyond. Asia is open, and the rest of the world knows it. The key question for companies looking to internationalise is how to navigate such a highly complex region.
If OGA represents regional promise, Gastech demonstrated global scale. The size of the exhibition, the investment in real estate, the integration of the conference into the exhibition floor all pointed to gas being far more than a “bridge fuel.” It is the dependable backbone of energy systems for decades to come, feeding ecosystems in LNG, hydrogen and beyond. Exhibitors were not talking about a sunset market, but about long-term infrastructure with staggering levels of investment.
Across all three exhibitions, the themes were clear: efficiency, digitalisation and decarbonisation. A few years ago, ESG sat at the top of the agenda as a differentiator. Today, it is expected: a play factor rather than a win factor. The differentiators now lie in how companies use digital technologies and AI to drive genuine efficiency and to accelerate the long-term energy transition.
Most importantly, exhibitions themselves reflect the certainty or uncertainty of the markets they serve. Offshore Europe showed a resilient domestic industry battling against politically created headwinds. OGA underlined the momentum and optimism of Asia’s demand-driven future. Gastech proved that gas remains a long-term pillar of global energy investment.
For companies weighing their next move, the message is simple: don’t just follow the headlines. Read the exhibition floor. It’s where the future of energy is being written.