Exploring New Energy Frontiers

Round tables

Field Trips

Pre-Congress Sessions

Social activities

Official entities

The meaning of CONEXPLO could be explained from many different perspectives. It may be a relevant scientific-technical event… or a meeting of colleagues and friends with interests in common, among others. But a historical overview could be a good description.

The history of CONEXPLO shows two well-defined periods. CONEXPLOs 1° to 4°, which took place during the last century, featured an outstanding technical content as strongly influenced by the Argentine Geological Congress, but were hardly significant  in general within the industry. CONEXPLO I (Mar del Plata, 1989) included little more than fifty technical works, nearly three-hundred attendees, and a nice trade show. Despite the existing hyperinflation, the Houston Plan was being launched and the general mood was optimistic. The two following conventions were held simultaneously with the Argentine Geological Congress (Mendoza, 1993; Buenos Aires, 1996). Finally, CONEXPLO IV (1999) again took place in Mar del Plata, this time on a small scale (nearly one hundred and fifty attendees), although with remarkable technical contents, since the industry was undergoing a profound crisis, with extremely low oil prices and considerable job losses, mostly on a corporate level.

The following event, 5° CONEXPLO (Mar del Plata, 2002), threatened to be similar to the previous convention, when our country was emerging from its major 2001 crisis. The Executive Committee, however, faced its organization with renewed spirits by addressing a key Exploration and Development sector in every company through the creation of the Geotechnology Conferences and inviting services contractors. A large Trade Show was organized as well. For the first time, Symposiums were set up as distinguished events within the Congress, including the successful release of the Reservoirs’ “Yellow” Book of the Argentine Republic, all of them initiatives that have been carried out thus far. This boost in the organization was reflected in more than six hundred attendees, nearly a hundred and twenty technical papers presented in three rooms over three days.  This remarkable change in all the Congress’ aspects was achieved by prioritizing the Exploration and Development Committee’s main goal, which is to present geologists, geophysics, engineers and geotechnologists with high-quality technical papers previously subjected to double arbitration and affordable enrolment fees.

The successive conventions improved in every aspect: number of attendees; technical papers; nearly fifteen symposiums on different disciplines; and the recognition of leading experts, not only from a technical point of view, but also as instructors of new professionals.

By the 10° CONEXPLO (Mendoza, 2018), we had already convened over a thousand attendees and two hundred and seventy-one double-reviewed technical papers; we had organized several symposiums (including non-conventional reservoirs) and the release of two regional transects at the basin level, in which different operating companies participated; a cores exhibition; three projection rooms; and the re-edition of the Reservoirs’ Yellow Book that now included shale and tight gas. The first Field Trip was arranged for students.

Finally, 11° CONEXPLO (Mendoza, 2022) broke every record by closing with the highest figures in its entire history, which placed it among the top worldwide conventions ever and made us proud of having explored in depth the issues most critical to the national energy agenda. Under the slogan “The challenge of consolidating growth”, this congress gathered over a thousand attendees, a staff of two hundred technical support, coordination and assembly collaborators, and more than three hundred spoken and poster technical presentations.  Simultaneous exhibitions were held in seven rooms throughout seven sessions and five symposiums around the main disciplines: exploration, conventional and non-conventional fields development, rejuvenation of mature basins, geophysics, offshore, etc. As has become customary, the 7th Geotechnology Conferences were simultaneously organized, which included a supplementary exhibition with six booths tended by the province’s Energy authorities; a core and virtual outcrops’ exhibition; pre-congress sessions; and two prior field trips, one of them for students only; four round tables and three lunches. In a specially backlighted room, there were three unique regional transects, where seismic data was coordinated and exhibited by all the attending companies.

11° CONEXPLO was indeed a turning point to professional development by boosting knowledge transference, productive technical expertise sharing, and advancing towards enhanced horizons.

Now, with the insight that only time can provide, our expectations are running high. 12° CONEXPLO aspires to integrate experiences lived with a renewed thrust and spirits that our ancestors have succeeded into building throughout three decades.