Gulf Coast Oil Exposition to celebrate 60 years

The Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition will celebrate 60 years of providing support and networking for the industry Oct. 27 to 29 at the Cajundome and Convention Center in Lafayette, Exposition Industry Relations Director Claire Thom said Tuesday.
Thom was the guest speaker at the Atchafalaya Chapter of the American Petroleum Institute meeting at the Petroleum Club of Morgan City.
The Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition, which began in 1955, is “Louisiana’s oil show” and is “put on for industry by industry,” Thom said.
“There’s a big connection between Morgan City and Lafayette. A lot of us do the same things, and we’ve grown together, I think, through industry,” Thom said.
The exposition is held biennially and features exhibits from both the onshore and offshore industries, Thom said.
The Louisiana Gulf Coast Oil Exposition, also known as LAGCOE, is a non-profit organization with just a few staff members supported by hundreds of volunteers on more than 20 committees, Thom said. “We’re so appreciative and are open to folks who want to get involved,” Thom said.
Judge Kaliste Saloom said LAGCOE started as a way to try to educate the citizens in Lafayette about the oil and gas industry, Thom said.
In 2013, 17,000 people from 47 states and 43 countries attended the exposition, Thom said. The exposition’s exhibitor waitlist includes more than 700 companies, she said.
“We work really, really hard to build international connections. We want folks to be able to come in to one place and learn a lot from different countries. There’s a liking to this area,” Thom said. “We’ve been approached by a lot of them who want to come back and make more presentations.”
The exposition is meant to support the industry and “keep the spotlight on Louisiana,” Thom said. LAGCOE is also proud to support a lot of innovators and independent oil and gas professionals, Thom said.
LAGCOE is one of only two oil and gas shows that is part of the Department of Commerce’s International Buyer Program, she said. “That’s a big deal. Our Department of Commerce representatives work to tell the world about what’s going on in Louisiana,” Thom said. “They help a lot of companies, a lot of buyers, coming in here looking for companies to sell good U.S. products and services.”
The organization recognizes the need to support the next generation of oil and gas industry leaders and, thus, started Young Professionals of LAGCOE, Thom said. Morgan City native Kirby Arceneaux, LAGCOE immediate past chairman, founded that group, Thom said.
The group participates in many networking and social events, she said. The Young Professionals Sporting Clays Tournament raised about $200,000 for the LAGCOE education fund in two years, she said.
“Angela Cring (LAGCOE executive director) is a geologist so she means business when it comes to oil and gas. She’s very serious, and she has a keen eye for the future,” Thom said. “We knew we needed kids involved with STEM (Science, Engineering, Technology and Math) majors. There were just not enough of them so the education fund was started.”
LAGCOE also has a mentorship program with about 30 pairs of young people and seasoned professionals to get younger people in leadership roles, Thom said.
The exposition held a career fair in 2013 to which 2,800 people attended, and another 1,000 people attended a second fair hosted apart from the exposition, Thom said. “We are again going to have some kind of career function at the show because we are here to support.” Though a specific focus for the career fair has not yet been decided on, it might focus on career development or honing skills in between jobs, Thom said.