Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) (Left) and Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX) (Right)

U.S. Senator and former Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz (R-TX) will join U.S. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Pen Test Partners Live-Hacker Ken Munro, Invatare CEO and former Statoil North America CIO Trond Ellefsen, and Sports Illustrated senior writer and best-selling author Ben Reiter as a keynote speaker confirmed to appear at the OilComm Conference and Exposition next month in Houston, Texas.

“We’re all wildly excited to have Senator Cruz join us for at OilComm,” said OilComm Show Director Michael Conti. “His discussion around the current state of the oil and gas industry and his vision of where we are headed will make for a compelling discussion for OilComm’s attendees.”

Senator Cruz will participate in a luncheon fireside chat at 12 p.m. CST on Wednesday, October 2 at the Houston Marriott Westchase in Houston — the site for this year’s OilComm event. The fireside will focus on the important role that communications technology will play in the U.S. government’s plans to boost the nation’s energy industry and will include a q&A with the 1,000 digital technology professionals that will be attending the event.

“OilComm 2019 is shaping up to be the most dynamic group of thought leaders and decision makers in the oil and gas telecommunications industry,” said Rick Sperandio, president of Rigstar Industrial Telecom and a member of the OilComm advisory board. “As such, the conference attendance is expected to have the best mix of end users, industry leaders, and decision makers that OilComm has seen in years.”

Senator Cruz represents 28 million Texans in the U.S. Senate and has authored 39 legislative measures signed into law. Recent victories include expanding 529 college savings accounts to allow parents to save for K–12 public and reauthorizing and reforming NASA. Cruz and his team said they are looking forward to participating in the senator’s first OilComm.

Congresswoman Lizzie Flecther will open OilComm’s Thursday activities, by participating in talk about how Houston’s transition to a smart city will lead to smart industrial complexes, cornerstone technologies such as automation, AI, and VR/AR, and taking the next step to 5G’s capabilities. She will address similar transformations happening in the oil and gas industry. Congresswoman Fletcher’s session will take place at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, October 3rd.

OilComm will be held on both October 2nd and 3rd, bringing technology professionals, speakers, and vendors from Shell, Fluor, Vaalco Energy, Kosmos Energy, Nabors Industries, Occidental Petroleum, BP, Eni, Total, Kinder Morgan, Apache, Marathon, and dozens more in the sector. Energy professionals attend OilComm to learn how to scale their digital initiatives to meet future demands and explore the technologies that will get them there, as well as how to protect their networks.

“OilComm attendees should be excited about an increase in content regarding information security and emerging technologies, both of which are transforming the industry,” said NCC Group Security Consultant Damon Small.
“Remaining true to the conference’s heritage, there will also be a wealth of information available about communications as it relates to all areas of O&G – there are sure to be many topics of interest for all!”

Rachel Lesczynski, OilComm’s conference manager, added, “We’re very excited about the quality of speakers and activities such as Ken Munro’s industry-first live hack of a mobile drilling platform. OilComm’s focus this year is on the communications technology that brought the industry this far into the digital age; how to improve those technologies, and then how proper implementation and security measures benefit the energy industry as a whole.”

Professionals who work for E&P companies, EPCs, drilling contractors, commercial maritime, ground transportation, and rig owners, are eligible to attend the OilComm Conference and Exposition, and Senator Cruz’s keynote luncheon for no cost until September 19, 2019. Click here for more details.