76. EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Amsterdam, Netherlands

(by Aglaja & Florian)

A group of students went to Amsterdam to be part of this years EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibiton experience (06/16 - 06/19). Read on to get to know inside thoughts, reports and funny facts. Click on the headline to open up the text.

 

Day 1 : Getting to know Amsterdam

On day one of the Amsterdam experience we discovered the city. Some members rent a bike, others went by foot. Luckily the highlights are close to each other. The city is full of tourists and cyclists.
In the evening the opening ceremony took place and we experienced a debatte about trans-border communication and the future of providing energy. In the board were representatives of TOTAL, Schlumberger, Shell GDF SUEZ and the government. After this, numerous awards were given to the grantees e.g. the Schlumberger Award was granted to Valentina Socco who visited us in the frame of her Honorary Lecture Tour.
During the following Icebreaker Reception we had a first sneak peak at the exhibition ground and had the chance to meet other students and friends while enjoying drinks and snacks.

At 8 pm we moved from the closing Icebreaker to a bar where we reflected on the day.

Day 2 : Job opportunities and valuable information

Arriving at the conference center quite early we were able to get our hands on coffee, sweet and savoury breakfast. Right afterwards our "traditional" Maersk Oil Challenge was the next spot to go to. I used the possibility to chat with the head recruiter who recognized me right away. Strolling through the corridors of the hall we met researchers from New Zealand who we visited earlier this year.
The first poster presentation by one of our colleagues from Berlin was a success. Moving from Shell to BP and other companies we got informed about the "easy" way of entering the company. Speaking to a former researcher from our department this is only half the truth. We still got to know those companies more and gathered valuable information for our future plans. In the end-of-day GeoQuiz 24 Student Teams competed against each other. Our both teams did not win the main prizes but came very close to the Top 10.
In the evening students were invited to the free of charge Student Evening at the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. In a 2 hour talk the former dutch astronaut went through his training, motivation and insights of his career. After we went by the Buffet to fill our stomachs it was time to network. Luckily one of the panel members of the opening ceremony got in contact with us. We talked about all kinds of relevant topics and even invited him to the SGS afternoon talks.

Day 3 : Challenges, CVs and more

On the third day we finally dropped CVs at the company booths and got direct feedback on their student programs. Depending on your preferences you have to get to know the companies in order to choose the one that suits you best. There is no better place than a conference and exhibition like this. We also took part in the various student challenges like the "Create Your Energy" Bike Challenge.
To underline our intention, getting a TOTAL young professional to Berlin, we used the chance to meet Sylvie who coordinates the student wishes. We are now in close contact with her about this case namely the SGS Afternoon Talks about carrer oportunities in all geoscientific disciplines.
At 2 pm Florian gave his presentation which was just one of the 7 talks/posters coming from our department in Berlin. The student ePoster area was located at a quiet isolated spot but in the middle of a hall way with people are regularly walking by. In the evening some students used the possibility to enjoy a beautiful scenery at the Westergasfabriek where the conference evening took place. 7 areas of different food and music styles provided everything for every taste. In addition a lot of familiar faces were recognized by us and we got in interesting talks with researchers, representatives and colleagues.

Day 4 : All's well that ends well

On the last day of the 76th EAGE Conference & Exhibition in Amsterdam we again used all possibilities to get contacts and create a network. The other attraction were the numerous drawings for all sorts of prizes. Special attention was paid to the student court where the draw of the travel grant for next years conference in Madrid was held. Luckily one of our group members got one of the three so SGS will be present with at least one student. In the morning of the last day the best student chapters were gathered and rewarded for their work throughout the year 2013. Our student chapter came second best which is quite remarkable.
Student had still the chance to participate in the Exhibition Tour on the last day where we got useful information about the major players in the oil and gas industry. TOTAL showed us that energy that will be provided in 2035 will mainly come from coal, oil and gas (73%). They also predict that the time of "easy oil" (cheap production) is over and we now have to move on to more complex methods. Meeting our friends from Poland, Russia and the USA for the last time we had a last informative conversation and promised to meet again next year in Madrid. At 5 pm everthing was shut down. Some students spent their last minutes playing table soccer, others still used the time to network. A part of the group went home on this last day whereas others stayed for one to two more days in Amsterdam.

Conclusion

Florian

Such a conference is offering a huge amount of possibilities. When you, well informed, are approaching a booth or a company there is the chance to walk out with a job offer. Otherwise you know that this particular company has nothing to offer which suits your needs which is also a valuable information. Do not forget that there are many international, open minded people especcially students who you can get in contact with very easily. Getting to know their stories and problems that they face will help you overcome other in the future more easily.
As Forest Gump already said: "You never know what you gonna get" it is always advisable to get to know as many researchers, industry representatives and students as possible. There might be your future coworker or boss who can help you to find a job. Everybody started at zero and climbed their way up more or less. Why not start easy at a conference like this.