Preparations for the seventh annual AAPG Prospect and Property Expo in London – APPEX London – are well under way, and this growing event promises to be a new milestone in developing global deal-making under one roof.
APPEX London will be held March 5-7 at the London Business Design Centre, the event ’s new home.
Many invitations for the international speaker program have been confirmed, and the conference will be complemented by an enlarged prospect exhibition of upstream opportunities.
The exhibition also will include an expanded International Pavilion, with representation from many of the world ’s key national oil companies and hydrocarbon producing countries.
APPEX is being organized and timed around a proven format that allows upstream E&P decision-makers and their ventures and business development teams to come and meet their equivalents from around the world, discuss opportunities and deal-make.
The event is not designed to be a technical conference but more of a business forum (commercial and technical), although a large majority of the new venture fraternity are indeed geologists and geophysicists.
Of course, as explorationists we all know that the starting point for any good “upstream deal” is a clear understanding of the subsurface. APPEX is truly a multi-disciplinary event, bringing together not only the O&G folk (including the AAPG membership) but many of our other upstream colleagues representing such disciplines as:
- Commercial.
- Financial.
- Legal.
- Engineering.
- Operational.
Without that multi-disciplinary approach APPEX simply would not be effective – and I am delighted that the AAPG is able to facilitate and welcome the interaction essential for such an event.
The APPEX programitself takes a wide view of the world’s hydrocarbon potential, with regional sessions targeting key areas of activity and expert speakers chosen to appeal to the broad audience and disciplines attending.
Scheduled presentations include:
- Two “Prospect Forums” for exhibiting companies to present specific deals.
- A half-day “Finance Forum,” sponsored by ABN Amro, which is designed specifically for upstream E&P management with reports on financing E&P projects and their companies.
- A half-day pre-conference seminar on the “Management and Marketing of Upstream Deals and Farm-outs,” sponsored and run jointly by Envoi Limited and JSI Services.
If you have yet to attend APPEX but are involved in new ventures anywhere in the world, and are either looking to find new opportunities or divest existing assets, consider joining us in London for APPEX 2008.
After all, APPEX is being endorsed by an increasing number of organizations that recognize the benefits of a truly “global” event to complement the more regionally focused conferences now held in their own regions. The Energy Institute, the OGP and London ’s Geological Society all have endorsed APPEX – and more endorsements are expected from groups in the Far East, Australasia, Europe, the United States and South America.
And if you are familiar with APPEX, we look forward to seeing you again in 2008.
No Accident to APPEX Success
Successful meetings don’t happen by accident.
Members of a dedicated, London-based APPEX volunteer committee have been responsible for keeping the meeting on track, and without their efforts APPEX would not exist. All are providing invaluable industry expertise and their time.
They include:
- Joe Staffurth(exhibition).
- Terry Jacksonand Dirk Cuthbertson(marketing).
- Lucy Kennedyand Steve Veal(with AAPG’s European office, also past chairman and now director).
- John Brooksand Richard Hardman(Advisory Board chairs).
- Jackie Banner(sponsorship).
- Charles Speh(social events).
- Enzo Zappaterra(speaker program).
- István Bérczi(president, AAPG European Region).
Also Gina Godfreyat the International Pavilion and Jeff Lundare our U.S.-based APPEX representatives.
We encourage any feedback, ideas and suggestions for the conference that will help us improve APPEX for you and your organizations.