Organized by Jerry Debenport as the Little International Oil Show in June 1940, the event was first held at West County Park with 53 exhibitors. It was suspended during World War II but resumed in 1950 as the Permian Basin Oil Show. In 1953 it was reorganized as a non-profit sponsor of a biennial event held on even-numbered years in October. Its new permanent home in Ector County Coliseum featured 300 booths in 1954, and an antique wooden drilling rig museum was added the same year. By its fiftieth anniversary show, it hosted 600 international exhibitors. As the world's largest inland petroleum show, it enhances the basin's reputation as the largest oil-producing region in the U.S., and average attendance at the four-day event exceeds 200,000.