For the first time in more than a decade Calgary, Canada, is once again in the AAPG spotlight as the site of the annual convention -- and historic levels of pre-meeting interest point to signs of meeting success.
The 90th AAPG annual meeting, with SEPM and the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, will be held June 19-22 at the Roundup Centre of Calgary's Stampede Park. The theme is "Global Roundup -- Exploring Energy Systems," which will be explored in a technical program that offers 975 oral and poster presentations.
"I think that the conference will be memorable for the number of technical sessions and poster displays," said John Hogg, the general chair.
More than 4,630 people had registered for the meeting by press time in early May, an unusually large pre-meeting number that had organizers smiling. The last time AAPG met in Calgary, in 1992, total attendance was about 5,800.
Complementing the technical program, of course, is the huge exhibits hall area -- including the International Pavilion -- which, in addition to providing a showcase for the latest technology, science and geological literature available, is also the site for the Sunday night Icebreaker and "end-of-day refreshments" on Monday and Tuesday from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
"The preparations have gone great," Hogg continued. "The Organizing Committee, and the AAPG and CSPG staffs have all worked well together to provide for a wonderful convention with outstanding technical, social and educational opportunities for our membership."
Hogg also pointed to the special luncheons "and for our celebration of Alberta's 100th anniversary at Heritage Park on Tuesday (June 21) evening" as activities of special note.
"And it will also be the first AAPG annual meeting to host a post-convention core conference," he added. That event will be held Thursday and Friday, June 23-24, at the AEUB Core Research Center in Calgary.
Included in the technical program are five special forums -- an increasingly popular structure at AAPG meetings -- plus the fifth annual Michel T. Halbouty Lecture, which this year will feature an in-depth look at the discovery of the [PFItemLinkShortcode|id:41636|type:standard|anchorText:Buzzard Field|cssClass:|title:|PFItemLinkShortcode] in the Central North Sea's Outer Moray Firth.
The forums are:
- "[PFItemLinkShortcode|id:41742|type:standard|anchorText:History of Petroleum Geology Forum: Lessons from the History of Exploration in the Middle East|cssClass:|title:|PFItemLinkShortcode]," from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday, June 19.
- "[PFItemLinkShortcode|id:41639|type:standard|anchorText:The Independents -- Case Histories in Success DPA)|cssClass:|title:|PFItemLinkShortcode]," from 8-9:45 a.m. Monday, June 20.
- "New Discoveries," from 3:15-5 p.m. Monday, June 20. The session will feature talks on discoveries from around the world, including the recent billion-barrel Covenant Field discovery in Utah (see April EXPLORER).
- "The Changing World of Reserves Reporting and the Financial Community (DPA)," from 8-9:45 a.m. Tuesday, June 21.
- "Exploration Risk and Managing Corporate Portfolios (DPA)," from 10-11:45 a.m. Tuesday, June 21.
Another technical highlight is the "[PFItemLinkShortcode|id:41640|type:standard|anchorText:Origin of Petroleum Conference|cssClass:|title:|PFItemLinkShortcode]," an abbreviated version of a planned-then-delayed 2003 Hedberg Conference, which will be held from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at the Hyatt Regency Calgary.
As usual, pre-meeting events -- various short courses, field trips and social activities -- will be held for early arrivers. The meeting officially begins at 4 p.m. Sunday with the opening session and awards ceremony, followed by the traditional Icebreaker in the exhibits hall.
Technical sessions begin at 8 a.m. Monday.
AAPG first held an annual meeting in Calgary in 1970, with John M. Browning as general chairman. Annual meetings also were held there in 1982 (James MacDonald, chair) and 1992 (George Eynon, chair).