By Susan Frizzell
The NAPE Summit 2020 was held Feb. 3-7, 2020 in Houston, Texas. It was my first year to attend and was so much more than I ever expected. My day started at 75-degree Fahrenheit temps in Lafayette, LA. The temperature was supposed to stay warm all day and get a little cooler overnight. I did not look any further, grabbed my bag, and headed I-10 West towards Houston. I stopped at Buc-ee’s (because every trip to Texas has to include a pitstop at this institution). When I opened my car door, I was surprised by 42-degree Fahrenheit temps and gale-force winds. I fumbled through my bag to find my blazer, the only long-sleeve item I brought and ran inside to get some beaver nuggets…salted caramel, of course. The weather-related surprise laid the groundwork for NAPE Summit 2020.
THE ICEBREAKER NETWORKING SESSION
I had heard that this was a conference like no other, which was correct indeed. Oil prices were down about $15 from a high of $63 about one-month ago…. the lowest price in over a year. I expected to see low attendance numbers and glum faces. Wrong!! NAPE Summit 2020 is The Place Where Deals Happen. I attended the Wednesday night Icebreaker. As I walked into a room of a few thousand people dressed in suits, smiling, and networking, I felt the energy, literally, of oil and gas. I met some interesting people from every aspect of the business. The connections between people went back generations, but each welcomed newcomers like old friends. Everyone I spoke to was genuinely interested in what I had to offer and in sharing their goal of attending the Summit. I met landowners, investors, and geologists — all ready to negotiate.
THE EXPO
The energy Wednesday night flowed directly into the NAPE Summit 2020 Exhibit Hall opening Thursday morning. The bustle started long before the hall opened. A crowd gathered outside of the door. I could hear the hum of growing conversation as I approached the area. It reminded me of scenes of the opening bell of the stock exchange. Even after the doors open, I noticed a steady flow of attendees into the hall for hours. The nearly 700 exhibitors included major and independent exploration and production companies, buyers, landmen, service companies, and businesses that represent every point of the sale of oil and gas. The technology sector was surprisingly well represented, with Artificial Intelligence being a key topic. The technology aids in sifting through sonar data. AI can interpret volumes of logs to identify the 90% that do not represent potential reserves, leaving the remaining 10% to the geologists.
NAPE Summit 2020 primarily represents the land-based oil and gas reserves in the United States. But exhibitors included representation from about 50 countries. Most interesting to me was the Australian government. Through discussions with the Aussie representative, I learned that their regulatory agencies over oil and gas are very similar to the US. The federal government oversees the activity in federal waters, and the states manage the land-based oil and gas reserves. Australia has a free-market sale of leases and acreage, and they welcome international investors. Similar to the US, companies have to prove their risk aversion through performance metrics, not prescriptive measures. They want to see that plans are in place to ensure safe operation with measures that protect the workers and the environment. I plan to spend some time after the Summit reviewing the policies further.
CONNECTIONS & CONVERSATIONS: WOMEN IN ENERGY
I wrapped up my NAPE Summit 2020 experience by attending the Connections and Conversations: Women in Energy panel discussion. The dialogue covered rising stars, visibility, and introspection. As I reflect on the entire experience, I look at this year’s tag line for the conference: Find Your Focus. I gained new insight into a different side of the industry. I learned that the culture of oil and gas flows deep across all spectrums. I hope to see you next year at NAPE Summit 2021.
