AAPG’s annual Prospect and Property Expo – best known simply as APPEX – has enjoyed a decade of success, but some North American companies still may be wondering: “Does APPEX matter to me and my company?”
According to organizers, it should if you want to stay one step ahead of the competition – because even if you’re successful at home, what happens when the market matures and becomes crowded?
Whether frontier areas or near field exploration, conventional or unconventional, onshore or offshore, the international arena has huge potential and elbow room. The risks might be higher, but so is the potential for success, as proved many times before by U.S. exploration worldwide.
Indeed, U.S. oil and gas companies of all sizes are continuing to be very successful internationally, and a cursory glance around just the coastline of Africa ably demonstrates this:
♦ For offshore Ghana, the game-making Jubilee oil discovery by Kosmos is well-known and has drawn the rest of the world into the prolific offshore West African Cretaceous play.
♦To the south, off Gabon, Harvest Natural Resources’ recent oil discovery unlocked a complex Atlantic pre-salt play with new seismic processing technologies.
♦ Anadarko’s large multiple Mozambique gas discoveries have triggered the surge of interest in the whole underexplored East African Margin.
These are just a few examples of success in the international arena.
So how can APPEX matter to your company?
The AAPG through APPEX offers an effective way of engaging with the right international A&D decision-makers from around the world, including many national oil companies that are part of the International Pavilion. Global opportunities are showcased in the exhibition and the prospect forums, complemented by topical themed and regional presentations by specially invited speakers, to help understand where in the world you can target basins and plays.
The APPEX program has been uniquely designed as an international dealmakers’ event and networking opportunity. The speaker program includes both global and finance forums, with all keynote talks followed by shorter Prospect Forum speaker slots, reserved for registered exhibitors to pitch their international deals.
For those who are ahead of the herd and wanting to see what is going on in the international E&P area and network with key upstream players, APPEX is a “must attend” event.
Editor’s note: Martin Riddle, an AAPG member, is technical manager at Envol Limited in London, England. He also is a member of the APPEX technical committee.