CHALLENGE
Energy Capital & Power (ECP)—a leading global investment platform and event organizer focused primarily on the energy and mining sectors in Africa and emerging international markets—wanted to engage U.S. energy leaders and media to generate interest in and media coverage of their Houston Showcase. This event was the first step in the U.S. to establish interest for their larger event, Venezuela Energy Week, scheduled for February 2027.
Venezuela’s Minister of Hydrocarbons and the executive vice president of PDVSA (the state-owned oil and gas company of Venezuela) joined the Houston conference, signaling the country’s opening to private investment. With a tight timeline, ECP needed to quickly turn the high-profile delegation’s visit into a compelling media moment that would drive coverage, attract industry attention and build momentum for the larger Venezuela Energy Week.
OBJECTIVES
Pierpont set out to secure earned media coverage for the Houston Showcase across national publications, energy trade press and Houston broadcast outlets, positioning Energy Capital & Power and Venezuela Energy Week as the primary convener of U.S.-Venezuela energy dialogue. The team aimed to generate interview opportunities for ECP CEO James Chester, capture keynote remarks from Minister Paula Henao and PDVSA Executive Vice President Jovanny Martinez, and build early momentum ahead of the larger Venezuela Energy Week.
SOLUTION
Pierpont built and distributed a detailed media alert ahead of the Houston Showcase, outlining the agenda, speaker lineup and a dedicated media window for keynote remarks from Minister Henao and PDVSA’s Martinez. The team pitched national energy and business outlets along with Houston-market broadcast and radio stations, emphasizing the rarity of senior Venezuelan energy officials engaging directly with the U.S. industry as the country opened its energy sector to private investment. Pierpont coordinated on-site media access and positioned CEO James Chester as the go-to interview for context on the broader significance of the visit and the upcoming Caracas conference.
RESULTS
Pierpont helped convert media interest into significant coverage over just three days. The Houston Showcase generated 29 placements across 25 outlets, including Bloomberg, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune and NPR, alongside energy, oil and gas outlets such as World Oil, Hart Energy and Oil & Gas Journal. Houston broadcast and radio coverage included KPRC, KHOU, KXLN Univision and NPR News 88.7. Combined, the coverage delivered more than 216 million impressions, establishing Energy Capital & Power and Venezuela Energy Week as the leading voices connecting U.S. energy companies to Venezuela’s evolving market ahead of the February 2027 Caracas conference.
