Low oil prices have reduced oil exploration and development activity around the world. Tens of thousands of workers have lost jobs with oil companies and in the oil service industry in recent months. So it was no surprise that attendance was down at the recent Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas. The conference has been a meeting place for oil and gas industry representatives for the past 47 years. In other years, large crowds attended the event. A number of oil services companies were represented at the conference this month. That is because these businesses know that oil prices will one day rise and their services will be needed. Milo Lu works for the Chinese company HuangHua Group. He told VOA that low prices have reduced oil exploration activity almost everywhere. “The only area that we still have something going on is probably (the) Middle East -- everywhere else its pretty dead.” But he said it was important for his company to attend the conference this year.
Title: Small Crowds at Texas Oil Technology Conference
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/oil_audio.m4a' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Small Crowds at Texas Oil Technology Conference' data-article-id='1537'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='8229'>Low oil prices have reduced oil exploration and development activity around the world.</span> <span data-start-time='8229' data-end-time='18750'>Tens of thousands of workers have lost jobs with oil companies and in the oil service industry in recent months.</span> <span data-start-time='18750' data-end-time='29208'>So it was no surprise that attendance was down at the recent Offshore Technology Conference in Houston, Texas.</span> <span data-start-time='29208' data-end-time='39354'>The conference has been a meeting place for oil and gas industry representatives for the past 47 years. </span> <span data-start-time='39354' data-end-time='45063'>In other years, large crowds attended the event.</span> <span data-start-time='45063' data-end-time='51625'>A number of oil services companies were represented at the conference this month.</span> <span data-start-time='51625' data-end-time='62896'>That is because these businesses know that oil prices will one day rise and their services will be needed.</span> <span data-start-time='62896' data-end-time='68792'>Milo Lu works for the Chinese company HuangHua Group.</span> <span data-start-time='68792' data-end-time='78667'>He told VOA that low prices have reduced oil exploration activity almost everywhere.</span> <span data-start-time='78667' data-end-time='85750'>“The only area that we still have something going on is probably (the) Middle East -- everywhere else its pretty dead.”</span> <span data-start-time='85750' data-end-time='91708'>But he said it was important for his company to attend the conference this year.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/tex_img.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=6187 data-hint-location='18750' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/what_does_offshore_mean.m4a'>What does offshore mean?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='located in the ocean away from the shore'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/located_in_the_ocean_away_from_the_shore.m4a'><span>located in the ocean away from the shore</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/until_a_later_time.m4a'><span>until a later time</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/above_the_ground.m4a'><span>above the ground</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/not_costing_a_lot_of_money.m4a'><span>not costing a lot of money</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=6188 data-hint-location='0' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/what_has_reduced_oil_development.m4a'>What has reduced oil development?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='low prices'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/oil_depletion.m4a'><span>oil depletion</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/demand.m4a'><span>demand</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/low_prices.m4a'><span>low prices</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/stock_market.m4a'><span>stock market</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=6189 data-hint-location='78667' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/the_only_area_that_still_sees_oil_development_is_the__blank_.m4a'>The only area that still sees oil development is the <span class='blank'>Middle East</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Middle East'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/middle_east.m4a'><span>Middle East</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/everywhere.m4a'><span>everywhere</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/pacific.m4a'><span>Pacific</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/1057/mediterranean.m4a'><span>Mediterranean</span></div></div></div><div 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