LAGCOE announced today it will hold its 2019 event at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.
The energy expo has for decades been held in Lafayette, most recently at the Cajundome.
“The move allows strategic growth for the organization and increased industry participation in the biennial expo,” officials say in a news release.
Greg Stutes, chairman of LAGCOE’s Board of Directors says the move to New Orleans is rooted in a mission to cultivate economic growth in the energy industry by facilitating domestic and global business development, and a larger venue will accomodate more exhibitors.
LAGCOE says it “remains committed to Lafayette and south Louisiana.”
The organization’s offices and staff will remain in Lafayette and continue to develop programming for members. Scholarship funds will continue to be raised and awarded to high school students through the Future Energy Professionals of LAGCOE.
LAGCOE started in 1953 in the parking lot of the Petroleum Club of Lafayette when a group of local oil men and women came together to create a showcase for the services and technologies of local oil- and gas-related businesses.
The community embraced the idea and industry leaders volunteered their time to help the event to grow to be the second largest oil-and-gas industry trade show in the United States. Â
Today, the expo is a three-day event, and at its peak, LAGCOE boasts representatives from 49 states, 40 countries and 17,000 attendees.
