ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Businesses related to the oil and gas industry filled the James Carnes Center and the grounds around it during Ohio Valley’s Regional Oil and Gas Expo.

Natalie Brown, president of MPR Transloading & Energy Services in Bellaire and an organizer of the event, said 131 registered exhibitors made Wednesday’s event the largest in the expo’s seven-year history. According to information from the expo website, 2017’s event featured 105 exhibitors.

“We’ve been very busy all day,” she said. “There’ve been attendees coming in all day. It’s very steady. Our lot is packed right now.”

The event featured wide-ranging exhibitors such as safety gear wear, transportation, infrastructure providers, machinery and fabrication and services, such as mobile testing for fracking.

“We have a lot of new exhibitors this year, but we also have returning exhibitors,” said Brown.

County officials said the continuing popularity of the expo makes the promise for participating businesses evident.

“It’s the largest number of exhibitors we’ve had in seven years,” said Mark Thomas, Belmont County commissioner. “The crowds have been fantastic. We’re very pleased.”

Commissioner J.P. Dutton said the event is the only one of its kind in Eastern Ohio.

“Anybody can walk in there and learn as much as they want about the industry as they can,” he said.

Larry Merry, the county’s port authority director, said that an expo typically sees more than 2,000 visitors.

“This event has evolved over the years, along with what’s involved in the industry,” he said. “A lot of companies are looking for one good contact out of this. Some of them, they want multiple contacts.”

Merry also underlined the importance of putting the public in contact with the industry.