This year’s Annual Convention, which was held in Houston from March 10th through the 13th, was one of the busiest, and most successful conventions for the Division of Professional Affairs. The Division sponsored, or co-sponsored, 1 short course, 1 workshop, 1 forum, 2 technical sessions, 1 panel discussion, and 1 luncheon.

Houston short course coordinator, George Bole arranged for attorney and geophysicist, Andrew Thomas, to teach a 1-day course on Oil & Gas Contracts and Negotiations on Sunday March 10. There were 21 individuals in attendance, all of whom were generally positive and indicated that the course met their expectations.

Also held on Sunday was the Careers Workshop, which was co-sponsored with SIPES. Over the last few years, the focus of the workshop was aimed at career transition for those impacted by layoffs, or students entering the workplace. This year, workshop coordinator Deborah Sacrey shifted the focus of the workshop toward transitioning to a career as an independent or consultant. This format was very well received and attracted 70 attendees.

The DPA Government Affairs Committee Forum U.S. Energy Policy–Progress or Political Stagnation, chaired by Bob Sellars and Lee Gerhard was held Monday afternoon and was co-sponsored by the EMD and DEG. Phillip Stark, IHS Energy Group; David Applegate, AGI; Scott White, Univ. of Kansas; and Charles Mankin, OK. Geol. Survey, addressed energy supply and demand and offered different viewpoints on how to establish an energy policy, i.e. supply of the traditional fossils and nuclear fuels vs. conservation and alternative sources of power generation. There were between 100 and 200 individuals in attendance during the forum. Discussion following the presentations by the panelists was lively and a number of questions were posed to the panel.

The DPA typically sponsors one or more technical sessions in which there is an emphasis on business. This year, DPA sponsored or co-sponsored 2 technical sessions and 1 discussion. The DPA, along with AAPG, co-sponsored the session Portfolio Economics and Management, which was held on Monday afternoon, following the DPA Forum. Attendance for the talks ranged from 125 to 200, with the exception of the last talk of the afternoon, when attendance dropped to just over 50. Victor Burk and G. E. Bezaire were the session chairs. The presenters for the session were:

  • Pete Rose, G.P. Citron, M.A. McLane, “Current Status of E & P Portfolio Analysis as a Corporate Best Practice–Obstacles, Solutions, and Consequences.”
  • J. Lund, J. Roffers, “Using Portfolio Models to Optimize and Communicate Strategy.”
  • J.I. Howell III, L.H. Warren, A.L. Howell, “Implementing Portfolio Management: Integrating Tools, Process, and People.”
  • A.E. Guzman, B. Edwards, “The Process for the Evaluation of Exploration in PEMEX Exploration and Production.”
  • K. McKellar, “Value Creation through Portfolio Management.”

The session Changing Business Conditions in Developing Countries was held on Tuesday morning. James Edwards and William Dixon chaired the session. The speakers for this session were:

  • Pete Stark–IHS Energy Group, “Who is Doing What and Where.”
  • Daniel Johnston–Daniel Johnston & Co., Inc., “State-of-the-industry, a 20-year Perspective on International Exploration.”
  • Bruce Vincent–Swift Energy Company, “Why We Considered New Zealand.”
  • B.W. Fischer–CMS Oil and Gas Company, “Monetization of Gas Reserves in the Gulf of Guinea.”
  • Jeff Aldrich–Forest Oil International, “Bringing a New Resource to Commerciality in South Africa’s Emerging Gas Market.”
  • John Mebberson–Roc Oil Company Limited, “The International E & P Scene; A Case of ‘This Too Will Change’.”
  • Chris Moore–Moyes & Co., Inc., “The Investors’ Perspective.”
  • Tom O’Connor–Petroleum Consultant and Adjunct Professor in the School of Political Management of George Washington University, “Finding It Was the Easy Part–Now, How Do We Commercialize It?”

This session was unfortunately held in an isolated location in the back portion of the Convention Center, and was difficult to find. Attendance for the talks ranged from 25 to 50.

Wednesday afternoon: Brenda Cunningham and Mike Party chaired a panel discussion entitled Improving the DPA Certification Process for International AAPG Members.

This discussion was also held in room 305. Attendance was approximately 20, and consisted almost wholly of those who were invited to attend. However, there were several “drop-ins” who provided extremely valuable insight.

The DPA luncheon on Tuesday March 12, co-sponsored with SIPES, was one of the highlights of the entire convention. The luncheon tied into the General Convention theme of “The Heritage of the Petroleum Geologist” and featured Michel T. Halbouty as the keynote speaker. Thirty-four additional Heritage Honorees were also in attendance, each hosting a table at the luncheon. All of the honorees had provided anecdotal information that was printed in a book that was provided to all luncheon attendees.

There were a total of 312 in attendance at the luncheon. That number includes the 35 Heritage honorees, 50 student volunteers, and 227 guests. Comments from guests, students and honorees have been overwhelmingly positive.

Phillips, Subsurface Consultants, Five States Energy,and Samson all contributed to underwrite the cost of the luncheon.