The Europe Region Young Professionals had the privilege of hosting several YP events during the recent 2017 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition in London. The theme of ICE, “100 Years of Science Fuelling 100 Years of Prosperity,” was particularly appealing to YPs as many are beginning to see positive industry trends after having endured a tough few years.
The London AAPG YP Chapter has been active since 2011, organising a range of events like networking evenings, career talks, sport events and the famous yearly Christmas quiz. Many of these events are in collaboration with the London Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain YPs. And, 2017 marked a special year for the London YPs, as it was the first time we experienced an AAPG technical meeting in our backyard. For many of us, the first opportunity to attend an international AAPG event was even more special because it coincided with the AAPG centennial celebration. London YPs helped to organize the London ICE Student and Young Professionals program, and the hard work paid off as London ICE 2017 was an absolute success.
The conference kicked off with the Student and YP Meet-n-Greet. This initiative was to bridge the gap between students, YPs and experienced professionals. The event commenced with an introduction from London YP President Myriam Cuylaerts and Jon Peachy of Shell. The London ICE Meet-n-Greet also served as the launch of the “Student and YP Networking Challenge,” a competition that provided a platform for enhanced networking by requiring participants to collect signatures from AAPG officers and members within the industry, exhibitors and conference speakers.
Day two of AAPG ICE was another busy one for YPs. Several were engaged in chairing oral sessions as well as judging posters. On the exhibition floor, YP and student poster presentations garnered a lot of foot traffic. That evening, the student and YP reception took place at FOX bar at ExCel, and was graciously sponsored by ExxonMobil, and we thank them for their continued sponsorship of AAPG YP programs.
Finally, during day three of ICE, the results from the Student and YP Networking Challenge were revealed. A few contestants managed to gather all required signatures, and the overall winner was Anouk Beniest from IFP Paris. Anouk left ICE with a new ammonite that will help to decorate her desk.
World-class events like AAPG ICE provide younger AAPG members with exposure to innovative technologies and networking opportunities that are necessary to overcome some of challenges that we currently face. Thank you to all that participated in YP activities at ICE. We had a wonderful time and look forward to building on this experience.