GPS Preview2006

Global Petroleum Show adds new features

One of the world’s largest oil and gas events transcends technology with addition of keynote speakers and Heavy Oil Forum.

More than 50,000 visitors from 85 countries will assemble in Calgary, Canada, June 13 – 15, 2006, to attend the Global Petroleum Show (GPS), one of the world’s two largest oil and gas events. About 500,000 net sq ft of Calgary’s Stampede Park will be home to the latest innovations in technology, products and services, including an outdoor exhibition of life-sized equipment that allows visitors to get hands-on familiarity and a bird’s eye view.

This year’s event will transcend technology with the addition of three new features that address strategic planning, market forecasting, and heavy oil supply and demand for professionals in the petroleum industry. The GPS Speaker Series will include Bill White, Mayor, City of Houston, discussing “The New World of Energy Scarcity,” and Chris Bloomer, VP, Heavy Oil, and CFO of Petrobrank, talking about the rush to unlock the oil sands potential in a presentation, “A Giant Treasure Chest and a Handful of Keys.”

Another series of presentations, the GPS Keynote Luncheons, will feature presentations on the world’s challenges with respect to energy. Presenters include Randy Gossen, President, 19th World Petroleum Congress, and VP, Safety, Environment and Social Responsibility, from Nexen; plus a senior executive from Halliburton.

With the world’s eyes turning to Alberta’s oil sands as a rich resource, Alberta Economic Development’s Heavy Oil Alberta Project (HOAP) and the Canadian Heavy Oil Association will present a Heavy Oil Opportunities Forum on Thursday, June 15. This forum will feature representatives from China, Brazil and India, who will discuss the opportunities that heavy oil will offer with respect to the world’s thirst for energy. Speakers include Nestor Cerveró, vice president, International, Petrobras (Brazil); Huan Han, president, China National Petroleum Corporation; and Mr. S. Roychaudhury, senior vice president, ONGC Videsh Ltd.

“Heavy oil and oil sands are currently a hot topic,” said Wes Scott, show manager for Global Petroleum Show. “GPS will provide a platform for the international and domestic petroleum industry to find out more about the oil sands, and what it will represent to the global energy community.”

Also taking place during GPS is the Canadian International Petroleum Conference (CIPC), hosted by the Petroleum Society of Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Petroleum (CIM). The 57th annual Technical Meeting will welcome delegates from around the globe to this premier conference, where pertinent research and unique global perspectives converge to engineer solutions for the ever-changing and challenging upstream industry. Registration for the CIPC event is available only at www.petsoc.org.

CIPC Preliminary Technical Program

EXPOSITION OVERVIEW

Visitors to GPS will notice the sheer size of exhibit space utilized, including 250,000 sq ft indoors and 250,000 sq ft outdoors. The latter group will include drilling rigs, pumping units, compressors and other large pieces of equipment. About 1,500 exhibiting companies will display equipment and/or showcase services. Among the largest outdoor exhibits slated for this year’s event are National Oilwell Varco (a 12,000-sq-ft display), featuring a new product; Leader Energy (10,000 sq ft); and Foremost Industries LP (9,600 sq ft). Four companies share top honors for the largest indoor presence, including Tyco, Cameron, Halliburton and Emerson Process Management.

Larger equipment items will be on display outside at the GPS in Calgary’s Stampede Park.

“Visitors to GPS will be able to look for solutions affecting every facet of their business, then compare and contrast what exhibitors are offering,” said Scott. “Exhibitors will focus on quickly formulating individualized solutions to customers’ challenges.”

World Oil Centre Stage. Continuing GPS’s mandate to showcase the newest technology, products and services for the oil and gas industry, the 2006 exhibition offers Leading Technology Presentations at the World Oil Center Stage (ShawCor Centre – Hall D), sponsored by World Oil. More than 60 presentations will take place in the custom-designed theaters. They will include case studies on exploration, drilling and production, environmental strategies, information technology and e-commerce. For the latest schedule, visit petroleumshow.com.

Global Petroleum Show Events-at-a-Glance

International Career Fair. Again included at GPS is the international recruitment forum, Oilcareerfair. Created in response to the current worldwide shortage of skilled personnel in the petroleum industry, this unique initiative provides an on-site job fair at GPS and an online forum at www.Oilcareerfair.com. This feature offers industry organizations an opportunity to canvass prospective recruits, while also giving qualified personnel a chance to meet potential employers.

Using the online tool prior to the exhibition, employment candidates can view career openings that are posted online and apply for desired positions. Hiring companies can pre-select candidates before the event and set up meetings for the on-site fair. At the exhibition, candidates and recruiters can have face-to-face meetings.

Export Cafe. Canadian Trade Commissioner Service will host the Export Café, an opportunity for oil and gas equipment/ service providers to meet with Canada’s Trade Commissioners from around the world. These international business professionals are the industry’s eyes and ears on the ground in international markets. Each Trade Commissioner can be joined in an interactive, personal atmosphere at his table in the Export Café to learn about oil and gas opportunities in various countries and gain insight into specific international market access. Attendees can learn more about how to do business in such countries as Argentina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Khazakstan and more. The Export Café takes place in the Blue Room of the Agricultural Building at Stampede Park, Tuesday, June 13, from 2 to 4 p.m.

Alberta International Business Centre. World-class support is available at the Alberta International Business Centre. Operated by Alberta Economic Development, it is a venue where exhibiting companies can meet directly with qualified international buyers in a dedicated business environment. It offers complete business amenities and is the official registration site for international delegates. The center hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Petroleum Week Networking Events. The entire week of June 12 – 16 will be dedicated to a number of GPS-related events. For GPS visitors and exhibitors, there will be an Industry Reception on Wednesday, June 14, in the “Nashville North” tent at Stampede Park. Thousands of professionals from around the world will gather at this reception to celebrate the GPS. This industry reception is free to all visitors, when they register online at www.petroleumshow.com for personalized entry badges.

Further information and registration details for GPS are available at petroleumshow.com. Organizers stressed that all GPS and CIPC featured event dates, and locations, are subject to change.

CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL PETROLEUM CONFERENCE

Hosted by the Petroleum Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining (CIM), the Seventh International Petroleum Conference/ 57th Annual Technical Meeting will again be held in the Calgary Stampede Roundup Centre, June 13-15, 2006. The three day conference will feature more than 150 technical presentations.

Among the varied topics to be presented will be Business Development and Risk Management; Cold Production of Heavy Oil; Conventional Oil and Gas Improved Recovery; Drilling Engineering; Facilities; Health, Safety, and Regulatory Issues; Numerical Simulation; Oil and Gas and the Environment; Production Operations; Reservoir Rock and Fluid Characterization; Solvent-Based Heavy Oil/ Bitumen IOR; Thermal Methods in Heavy Oil/ Bitumen Recovery; Well Completions and Stimulation; Well Test Analysis. A full listing of topics and meeting times is available in the CIPC table on this page.

In addition to the technical presentations, a number of Petroleum Society Special Interest Groups will be back with Special Sessions, including panel discussions that appeal to the general industry professional. Two sessions featuring CIM’s Graduate Student Presentation Competition, continuing a long-held tradition of “seeding” the industry with promising young talents, highlight the diversity of the program.

This year, the Petroleum Society will again offer the very popular half-day Tutorial sessions on Monday June 12, preceding the main conference. Attendees can take advantage of this opportunity to “tune up” their skills in sessions guided by some of the industry’s pre-eminent technical leaders. Some of the proposed topics include Bitumen Upgrading and Marketing; CO₂ Flooding; Conventional Heavy Oil Recovery; Earth Stresses, Drilling and Borehole Stability; Estimation of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Coalbed Methane Reserves Using Probabilistic Methods; Fundamentals of Pricing and Reservoir Simulation; Heavy Oil and Bitumen Recovery; Introduction to Well Test Analysis; Non-SAGD Horizontal Well Recovery Techniques; Open- and Cased-hole Well Logging Interpretation Overview; and Waterflooding