More than 6,000 delegates attended the 87th EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition at P&J Live in Aberdeen this month, generating an estimated £13.2m for the local economy.
The event, organised by the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), ran from 8-11 June, with associated activity taking place across six days. It featured more than 200 exhibitors and over 1,400 presentations focused on geoscience, engineering and energy transition technologies.
The conference joins a host-city portfolio that includes Vienna, London, Paris, Madrid, Copenhagen and Amsterdam, underlining Aberdeen’s position as a destination for large international association events.
For the venue, the event demonstrated the scale of conference and exhibition business it was designed to attract. P&J Live hosted a programme spanning conference sessions, an exhibition, technical content, networking events, field trips and education activities.
Steve Daun, head of sales, associations at Legends Global, said: “To welcome more than 6,000 participants, 200 exhibitors and a programme of more than 1,400 presentations demonstrates the scale of what was delivered and the strength of the partnership behind it.”
Beyond the conference itself, EAGE’s outreach programme brought more than 200 schoolchildren from 11 schools to interactive sessions focused on careers in geoscience and engineering.
The event also delivered a short-term boost to the local visitor economy. Hotels across the city were reported to be close to capacity, while restaurants, bars, transport providers and suppliers benefited from increased demand. P&J Live said 5,500 hours of casual staffing were required across the build-up, live event and breakdown phases.
Marcus Arthur, strategic project manager at EAGE, said: “Aberdeen proved to be an excellent host city for EAGE Annual 2026. The event brought together our global community in a destination that understands the sector, reflects the theme of the conference and offers a strong connection between the traditional oil and gas industry and the emerging renewables and decarbonisation sectors.”
