2012 Chairman, Bruce Smith

I feel very privileged to again be your Chairman for the 2012 Gulf Coast Prospect and Shale Expo (GCPSE), to be held on October 16th in Lafayette, Louisiana.

At this juncture in the up and down cycles to which we are accustomed, we are, as an industry, doing quite well. Natural gas prices, although not at the highs we would like, are steady and trending upward; and what a ride the oil market has been. When compared to other industries in our struggling economy, oil and gas exploration is an exciting and busy place to be and this year’s GCPSE will be a great showcase of prospects and industry networking.

I hope you will step away from your overcrowded desks for a few days, come to Lafayette and network with all of your similarly overworked friends, play a little golf, eat some great food, enjoy some of Louisiana’s best hospitality and, most importantly, see all of the great prospects and opportunities for which the GCPSE has always been known.

Many prospect opportunities will be showcased, including those from the Haynesville and a wide array of shelf opportunities that have finally been released from regulatory prison, plus new emerging opportunities like the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale. As always, the traditional Southern Louisiana prospects remain the highlight of Gulf Coast prospecting.

Once again, GCPSE will start with the Louisiana Energy Golf Classic on October 15th. As with last year, booth and sponsor prices have been adjusted for this new one-day format and includes the storied LaFonda Restaurant Expo Kickoff party the night before the show for both exhibitors and viewers. As keeping with tradition, this year’s expo will include lunch with a keynote address with a speaker to be determined.

Please make plans now to join us in Lafayette for the Gulf Coast Prospect & Shale Expo for what will most certainly be a great business building and networking show complete with all of what Cajun country has to offer. I look forward to seeing you there.