 Examples
of the information that was available at the International Pavilion
in Dallas -- and will continue to be available at future IPs.
A
visit to the Dallas Convention Center during the AAPG Annual Meeting
last April was all that would have been needed for you to travel to
the four corners of the world.
A few steps
in one direction would have taken you from Brazil to Indonesia, passing
by Greenland and Mongolia. Next you could have taken a stroll through
East Africa from Eritrea to South Africa via Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania
and Mozambique.
For the tenth
year running -- since its inception in Denver in 1994 -- the International
Pavilion has taken pride of place in the exhibits hall as one of the
key attractions of the AAPG Annual Meeting.
A highlight
to this year's event was the presence of delegations from Afghanistan
and Vietnam, both exhibiting for the first time ever in the United States.
The mission
of the IP is to provide a venue where some 40 nations can exhibit their
investment opportunities to investors from the world's international
oil companies.
One of the
underlying secrets for its success has been not only the exhibit's commercial
aspects, but also its educational value.
For geologists,
it provides an opportunity to discover far-flung petroleum systems,
perhaps identifying plays analogous to those in their own back yard,
and to discuss exploration strategy.
For exhibitors,
it provides an opportunity to share and learn from their peers.
The competition
for investment in international E&P has made countries acutely aware
of their own relative competitive advantage. The IP offers an unparalleled
opportunity for these countries to compare with their competitors the
terms of their legislation and regulations, the operating difficulties
specific to each country, their respective strategies for attracting
investment and their relative success.
The mutual
exchange of ideas is further enhanced by dedicated "Global Forums."
Open to IP exhibitors and IP sponsoring companies, the pre-meeting forum
is designed to enable the representatives of the countries that exhibit
at the IP to debate with their counterparts in the international oil
companies the principle issues of concern and to benefit from their
mutual experience and understanding.
In recent years,
the opportunity to promote investment in each country has been significantly
enhanced by the introduction of the IP Theatre -- a dedicated area within
the IP area where each country is given a 30-minute slot to present
its opportunities and the conditions of investment.
This and previous
years' presentations from both the IP Global Forum and the IP Theatre
are available for viewing at the IP's dedicated Web site, "International
Pavilion Online." Access is provided via the AAPG home page (www.aapg.org)
under "Where do you want to go in AAPG's site?"
In recognition
of the success of the IP, AAPG will be holding an IP event at the AAPG
International Conference in Cancun, Mexico, Oct. 24-27, and at the APPEX
London, March 1-3. The next full exhibition of the IP will be held at
next year's AAPG Annual Meeting in Calgary, June 19-22.
For more information
about the IP and its activities contact:
-
Gina Godfrey, IP chair; telephone -- 1 (303) 308-9100; e-mail --
 .
- Jonathan
Green, IP country coordinator; telephone -- 41 22 721 1717; e-mail
--
- Evelyn
Medvin, IP sponsorship coordinator; telephone -- 1 (713) 328-2212;
e-mail --
 .
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