Recently the AAPG YP Mid-Continent Section hosted several networking events in Oklahoma City, intended to grow membership in AAPG – particularly among young professionals entering the energy workforce.
Over the past year and a half, the Mid-Continent Section has held or collaborated on several networking events, including golf tournaments, multidisciplinary forums and local social gatherings among young professionals in the OKC metro.
These events have increased YP interest in AAPG – and participation in the Mid-Continent Section is at an all time high.
Some of the highlights include:
♦ Due to the success of the “Switch” movie screening in March 2013, we decided to host a golf tournament sponsored by Baker Hughes the following September.
The tournament was held at a local golf course in OKC where YPs were paired with seasoned industry professionals, creating a great opportunity for YPs starting out in the industry to mingle with more experienced oil and gas veterans.
The event was highly regarded, and requests for a similar outing were received from YPs and industry professionals alike. With generous funding from both AAPG and Baker Hughes, door prizes and fashionable AAPG YP hats were given to all participants.
♦ During the summer of 2013, OKC Young Professionals in Energy (YPE) hosted the first ever Energy Forum in Oklahoma City specifically for young professionals – a joint effort involving most of the professional organizations in the city; the Oklahoma Young Professionals Energy Forum is “one of the first multidisciplinary events uniting the people who build the future of Oklahoma’s energy industry.”
After witnessing the great turnout of the event, the AAPG YP Mid-Continent Section decided to collaborate on future forums by having an AAPG YP on the 2014 and the current 2015 planning committee boards. This event is now held each year and has attracted over 400 YPs, interns, and students, who, over the course of the afternoon, listen to panel discussions, visit the vendor exhibition hall, and attend speaker presentations.
♦ The Mid-Continent Section’s next event was a networking social held in downtown OKC. This event utilized a “fishbowl” approach to identify YPs or geoscientists interested in AAPG membership and YP committee involvement. Thanks to our generous sponsors, including Toledo Mudlogging and Baker Hughes, the event was catered and included live music from a local OKC musician.
This event was a success with over 70 YPs and students from over 10 companies in the OKC metro. Over 20 YPs were interested in serving on an AAPG committee.
♦ Our first summer of 2015 event was held in June at the Main Event in OKC, is a networking event where YPs mingled while playing video games, laser tag and bowling – or just grabbed a bite to eat.
♦ Finally, and most recently, the 2015 YP Energy Forum was held July 23.
Based on the recent success of Mid-Continent YP networking events, we expected this to be a great event.