HGS Hosts the 2006 AAPG Convention

HGS Hosts the 2006 AAPG Conventionby HGS President Dave Rensink
This is the month the Houston Geological Society hosts theannual AAPG convention—April 9th through the 12th. This is the eleventh time Houston has hosted the AAPG convention, and it is the first convention held in Houston during an oil boom since 1979. Charles Sternbach and his organizing committee deserve our thanks and congratulations for assuming such a tremendous responsibility, and executing it so effectively. Many HGS members have put in thousands of hours over the past two years to make this convention a success for AAPG and HGS. Thank you all for your considerable efforts and dedication.The theme for this convention is “Perfecting the search, Delivering on promises.” It reflects the current state of our industry where efficiency and accountability are not only desirable qualities but essential in an era when target sizes are getting smaller and innovation is required to bring oil supplies to market economically. Relatively high product prices can cover a lot of inefficiency for a short period of time, but drilling and production costs inevitably rise in response to higher prices with the inevitable result of the reduction of profit margins. Efficiency and the ability to produce relatively predictable results will never be out of vogue. They are as vital during a boom as they are during a period of low product prices. Whether involved in exploration or exploitation, geoscientists add corporate value through drilling, and finding and development cost on a dollar per barrel equivalent basis is one of the most commonly used measures of our success. Needless to say, efficiency in drilling and production operations weighs heavily in the calculation of finding and development costs, but so does our ability to deliver statistically predictable quantities of oil and gas. Success in the oil and gas business does not come from geologic competence alone. You also need to understand how what you do affects the ability of the allied disciplines to work effectively and your influence on the corporate bottom line. If you are only in it for the science, someone else is helping to pay your salary.Bob Merrill and his committee chairs have assembled a range oftechnical talks in keeping with the convention’s theme. The session topics range from effective business strategies to emerging plays and to the effective exploitation of existing resources. There are also forums on the history of petroleum geology, the challenges for the oil business during the 21st century, funding exploration and development projects, and the successes and limits of high-resolution sequence stratigraphy. There is also a forum titled “Women as leaders in the E&P industry.” This is by no means an exhaustive list of the technical sessions and forums. Check the program for the technical sessions and forums of the greatest interest to you. The technical program is the foundation of any annual convention, and this year will be no different.HGS is also sponsoring an evening at Landry’s Downtown Aquarium. All of the facilities of the aquarium and midway will be at your disposal for the evening. Because HGS is sponsoring this event, you do not need to register for the convention to participate in this event. However, you do need to register for this event through the AAPG convention web site. Do not try to register through the HGS web site or by calling the HGS office—all they can do is to refer you to the AAPG web site. If you have not already registered for the convention, you can register on site at the George R. Brown Convention Center for either single day or full convention registration.
In the event that you have not been directly involved in staging the convention, you can still help. Mac McKinney needs volunteers to help staff the HGS booth in the exhibit hall during the convention. You do not need to call or email him, just show up at the booth during the ice breaker Sunday evening or Monday morning and sign up on the duty roster.
This year’s convention should prove to be a greatopportunity for Certainly the AAPG convention will be the highlight of April, but technical rejuvenation and networking. A successful convention do not forget that we have a joint lunch meeting with GSH on benefits you, AAPG, and HGS. I hope to see you there on April 18th and the North American Explorationists have scheduled a talk on the north slope of Alaska for April 24th.