Ghosts, visions part of Meet Alaska petroleum news

The upcoming Meet Alaska conference sports an unusual theme that does credit to one of the state’s most entertaining speech writers, Paul Laird, who currently serves as general manager of The Alliance, the association that hosts the annual energy conference and trade show.

Meet Alaska 2007’s theme is “The Ghost of Oilpatch Present: A vision of developments yet to come.”

According to The Alliance, the “Ghost of Oilpatch Present has brought the industry to the brink of a new era. It bore record prices, but a new oil tax that’s the highest in North America … victory over a proposed gas reserves tax, but no gas contract … the potential of world-class gas resources facing the perils of fuel conversion and imports … problems with aging infrastructure and a new political regime in Juneau.”

To find out what the Ghost of Oilpatch Future holds for Alaska’s oil and gas industry, you have to attend Meet Alaska 2007, which will be held Jan. 19 at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel, and where “industry and government decision makers who will help shape the face of what is yet to come” will be speaking.

Conference speakers include the following: The Honorable Jim Prentice, minister, Indian Affairs & Northern Development, Government of Canada; William Cromer, president, The Cromer Group; Scott Davis, vice president, MidContinent Business Unit, Chevron North America Exploration & Production; Timothy England, senior manager, exploration, Talisman Energy; Richard Guerrant, vice president-Americas, ExxonMobil Gas & Power Marketing Co.; Steve Guidry, regional vice president, U.S. Production Operations, Marathon Oil; Randy Limbacher, executive vice president, exploration and production-Americas, ConocoPhillips; and, Robert Malone, president and chairman, BP America.

A special feature of the conference will be entertainment from “The Dan Fagan Show, KFQD, Alaska’s #1 radio talk show.”

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has also been invited to speak.

The official publication for Meet Alaska, a full color magazine, is being produced by Petroleum News under an agreement with The Alliance that gives the association a commission on advertising revenues. Alliance members and exhibitors also get breaks on the cost of advertising.

The trade show portion of Meet Alaska has been expanded. The Alliance is now offering display space in the Sheraton’s second floor foyer and the Kuskokwim and Yukon rooms. Space reservation deadline is Dec. 29.

Not a member of the Alliance? The group is offering a new member special for $625 that includes a one-year Alliance membership and one registration to Meet Alaska 2007.

To register for Meet Alaska, register online at www.alaskaalliance.com or call (907) 563-2226. Meet Alaska is Jan. 19 at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel.

For information about the Meet Alaska 2007 magazine, contact Susan Crane at (907) 770-5592 or email [email protected].