Change Set for New Orleans

Deal Room Now Prospect Marketplace

New highlights

Abstracts deadline extended to October 1

A new twist is being added to a traditional offering at AAPG annual meetings -- and the term "let's make a deal" may never be the same.

Organizers of the AAPG annual meeting in New Orleans are revamping and increasing the size of the "Prospect Gallery/Deal Room," turning it into a major element of the next convention.

The "Prospect Gallery/Deal Room" in New Orleans will be known as the "Prospect and Property Marketplace," situated near the International Pavilion in the exhibits hall.

The Marketplace will market everything from drilling projects and acreage positions to producing and exploration properties -- and all will be done from a prime location.

"We are located adjacent to the Pavilion, but this will be a separate entity," said Jim Zotkiewicz, chairman of the PPM.

It won't be the first time the "dealing" is done on the exhibits hall floor -- the Prospect Gallery/Deal Room, which started as a room separate from the exhibits hall floor, moved to booth space a few years ago, with the maximum number of booths sold being less than 40.

"We are now anticipating selling 200 or more booths," Zotkiewicz said, "and our focus is global.

"We will provide sellers, buyers and financiers from around the world an opportunity to meet in one central, convenient location," he continued.

"The Marketplace will not only provide top convention space near the entrance to the main exhibit hall, we are providing presentation areas to reach a larger audience and private rooms for deal negotiations."

The Marketplace's focus, he added, would be on "projects from the industry that are ready to be sold, either wholly or partially."

Organizers see the prospect gallery as one of the "tools" AAPG is providing its members in the ongoing efforts of finding more hydrocarbons.

"Where else can you go, enjoy all the benefits of an international convention and market your prospect to more than 6,000 people under one roof?" Zotkiewicz asked.

The 2000 AAPG annual meeting will be held April 16-19 in the recently opened "Phase 3" portion of the New Orleans Convention Center. Also meeting will be the SEPM (Society for Sedimentary Geology).

The meeting theme is "Marching Into Global Markets -- A World of Resources."

The Marketplace concept isn't the only new twist organizers have planned for New Orleans. Other innovations include:

• The opportunity for speakers to use PC-based projection when desired.
  
  Presenters who chose this option must provide their own hardware and software, and are asked to bring spare copies of the talk on a floppy or CD, along with 35 mm slides.
  
• A new format for the poster sessions, allowing authors the chance to give a brief overview of their poster to small seated groups at scheduled times (two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon).
  
• Continuing a practice from past meetings, authors whose abstracts are accepted will have the option to submit an extended version, which will be available on a CD-ROM placed in attendees' registration packets.
  
  Abstracts are being compiled, and the official announcement is expected to be available for the membership in mid-December.

Questions about or requests for more information regarding the Prospect and Property Marketplace can be made to Zotkiewicz at (504) 833-7700.

For more information about the meeting contact the AAPG convention department in Tulsa.