The garage doors rolled open at 9 a.m. and thousands of oil and gas professionals from across the globe poured into the expo floor at the George R. Brown Convention Center eager to network, learn about the latest industry happenings and make deals happen. More than 700 exhibitors filled over 433,000 square feet of exhibit space with prospects, innovative services and plenty of top-notch swag.
“We like to reconnect with our current clients and establish relationships with prospective clients. NAPE is the Super Bowl and Kentucky Derby of all networking events combined,” said Chris Atherton, president and CEO of EnergyNet, an upstream oil and gas tech-enabled A&D platform, who has attended every NAPE expo since 2002.
Mike Gibson, CPL, managing director of Associated Resources Inc., a back-office land administration group, has been coming to NAPE to network for a dozen years. “The goal is always to catch up with the people you know and try to make new connections each year.”
Longtime NAPE-goer Justin Byers, president and CEO of RealX, an online property rights exchange, returned to the 2020 NAPE Summit with a particular purpose in mind: “We launched a new product and NAPE is the best place to launch new products in the oil and gas space.”
“NAPE is a great cross-section of the industry,” said Jamey Brumley, director of Auburn Energy Management, who has been attending NAPE events for the past decade. This year’s goal: “Just spending time with our clients, meeting new clients and sharing more about what we do at Auburn.”
Turning heads at the Auburn booth are a recreation of a 1965 Shelby 289 Cobra Slab Side CSX 8164 and a 1982 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser. “What the cars represent is basically Auburn’s tagline: value restored, value created. These cars have been painstakingly restored and now they have a value they didn’t have before,” he said.
During the Domestic and International Prospect Previews shown throughout the day in the NAPE theaters, exhibitors gave 8-minutes show-and-tell previews of prospects available on the show floor — driving traffic to their booths.
Jerry McHugh Jr. of San Juan Resources Inc. participated in his fourth Domestic Prospect Preview, presenting about a Mancos Niobrara unconventional oil play in the southeast San Juan Basin in New Mexico. In addition to providing exposure for his prospects and company, the experience enables him to polish his presentation skills.
“I think public speaking is really difficult. To give a succinct talk for the public is a lot of work so it challenges me. I work on the delivery and on the timing,” he said. “I’ve also gotten some good exposure. It’s good for me to practice and just to put things out there.”
The International Prospects included exhibitors from Australia, Canada, Peru, Hungary, Romania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We’ve attended NAPE for over 20 years and we’ve always participated in the international forums,” said Tom Bernecker, director — Energy Resources Advice and Promotion at Geoscience Australia. “We find it helpful to attract attention to our booth. After our presentations, people come to our booth for follow-up information.”
Also on Thursday, the annual NAPE Summit Charities Luncheon honoring our nation’s heroes featured former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley as keynote speaker. Ambassador Haley candidly answered questions from NAPE Advisory Board Chairman Carl D. Campbell, CPL, about her early life and its impact on her call to service, her time in the South Carolina House of Representatives and her tenure as the first female governor of South Carolina, where she presided over an expanding state economy but also dealt with the Charleston Church tragedy and removal of the Confederate flag on statehouse grounds. In addition, she discussed her work as U.N. ambassador and shared her insights on current threats to the U.S. and the best ways to address them.
Since 2009, the annual NAPE Charities Luncheon has raised more than $3.5 million for nonprofit groups that provide direct support to wounded veterans and the active military. Four deserving charities each received a $75,000 check: Defenders of Freedom, Dress for Success — Houston, Freedom Service Dogs of America and Warrior Bonfire Program.
“Veterans are the face of America. May we never forget what they have been asked to do for our country,” NAPE Operators Committee Chairman John Lodge told luncheon attendees.
Thursday afternoon the popular Connections & Conversations returned, moderated by Jacki Pick Deason, host of The Jacki Daily Show. This year’s panel included Nicole R. Braley, vice president head of Marketing Americas, Wood Mackenzie; Alexandra Pruner, independent director, Plains All American; and Sarah Sandberg, senior director, Investor Relations & Corporate Affairs, DCP Midstream.
“Connections & Conversations is an opportunity for the ‘lady’ leadership of the industry — and those who will someday fill their shoes — to come together for a fun and frank conversation about being a woman in oil and gas,” Deason said. “Energy is the foundation upon which the rest of the economy is built. Women have a critical contribution to make to this section, and Connections & Conversations is where you can ask the top women in the industry for their advice on how we make it.”
The day concluded with yet another opportunity to network at the Floor Reception.
The Crude Life Podcast can be heard every Monday through Thursday with a Week in Review every Friday.
Spread the word. Support the industry. Share the energy.
Follow on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVimPyUygnwakoQ9swHXNA
Follow on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/thecrudelife/
Follow on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-crude-life
Follow on Twitter
https://twitter.com/RealCrudeLife
