Summer NAPE 2015 kicked off on Wednesday, Aug. 19 with the NAPE Business Conference sponsored by Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation. Speakers included Arthur W. Gelber, President, Gelber & Associates Corp./Gelber Energy LLC; James C. Manatt, Chairman/CEO, Thrust Energy, Inc.; Christina Kitchens, EVP, Managing Group Director for CTB Energy Finance, and Bruce H. Vincent, former president of Swift Energy Company. Attendees gathered to hear this year’s speakers share their insights and expertise along with their thoughts and predictions about the future of the oil and gas industry.
While the speakers were in agreement that the industry continues to battle low oil prices, they also emphasized that now is the best time for oil and gas companies to invest in smart opportunities to come out ahead when oil and natural gas prices eventually rise again.
“You will never again be able to buy leases for as low of a price as they are now,” said Manatt. “Companies should allocate their budgets to take advantage of this great return on leases.”
NAPE Business Conference Luncheon keynote speaker Bruce Vincent agreed: “Those who wait around for the market to improve are those who are going to be hit the hardest. We have to be ready.”
And ready attendees were. For the first time, NAPE opened the Exhibit Floor on the same day as the Business Conference, and the floor filled quickly after attendees waiting for the doors to open at 1 p.m.
During the Prospect Presentations, seven select E&P companies showcased their active prospects to a packed theater of potential buyers. The NAPE Prospect Presentations allow exhibitors to further capitalize on the unique niche market that is NAPE by allowing companies of all sizes to showcase their prospects. Presenting companies included Shelf Energy, LLC; Cypress Production, Inc.; North Carolina Geological Survey; Martin Fuels Company, Inc.; Trueblood Resources, Inc; Reserve Energy Exploration Company, Inc; and Rippy Interest, LLC.
“It’s been a good conference for us,” said Joseph Haas, president of Reserve Energy Exploration Company and one of the presenters in Wednesday’s Prospect Presentations. “We already have a few deals in the works.”
Day one of Summer NAPE concluded with the ever-popular Icebreaker Event, a glow-in-the-dark celebration sponsored by Devon Energy. The NAPE Exhibit Floor was even more crowded on day two, with many trade show walkways packed shoulder-to-shoulder with attendees seeking to network, learn and uncover new business opportunities from the more than 300 exhibitors on site.
“NAPE was founded to be a central marketplace for energy deal making and networking, and that continues to be true today. It’s a real business-builder for attendees and a win-win for the industry,” said Jeanine Piskurich, Chair of the NAPE Operators Committee.
Thank you to this year’s speakers, sponsors and attendees, without whom this week’s successful conference and engaging industry discussions would not have been possible. (Source: Summer Nape Team)