Convention Info
Speakers & Presenters
We’re particularly excited about the insights our two featured speakers will provide.
- Keynote speaker: Economist Philip Verleger of PKVerleger, Inc.
- One of the world’s pre-eminent energy economists, Verleger will share his insights on
the current market and how marketers can position their company to succeed in a
tough energy market. Topics to include:- The economy looks bad - we're in for a long deep recession
-- Not your father's recession - The impact of the credit crunch will...
-- Squeeze out the weak players
-- Require consumers to work off dept
- Renewed focus on return of regulation
- Capital will be hard to raise
- The economy looks bad - we're in for a long deep recession
- One of the world’s pre-eminent energy economists, Verleger will share his insights on
- Guest speaker: David Portalatin of The NPD Group
- The leading global provider of consumer and retail market research information will share consumer purchasing trends in the automotive and oil industry. Topics will include:
- How marketers can differentiate their offer to come through the current downturn a winner
- The decision factors for consumers when purchasing gas
- An outlook on future demand
- The leading global provider of consumer and retail market research information will share consumer purchasing trends in the automotive and oil industry. Topics will include:
Philip K. Verleger, Jr. is the David Mitchell - Encana Professor of Strategy and International Management at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. The author of two important academic studies on petroleum markets, Adjusting to Volatile Oil Prices and Oil Markets in Turmoil. He has correctly anticipated most of the major structural changes that have occurred in the oil industry over the last 25 years. He has taught at the University of California and Yale University. He is now owner of his own consulting firm, PKVerleger LLC.
Dr. Verleger was the first economist to fully comprehend and explain the evolution of energy commodity markets. His 1986 paper, "The Evolution of Oil as a Commodity" in Energy Markets and Regulation correctly described the institutional changes that caused energy commodity markets to emerge. He has since chronicled the appearance and development of energy commodity markets in his monthly report, The Petroleum Economics Monthly. Over 25 years, this report has examined many developments and anticipated the outcomes of a number of market manipulation strategies, including Metalgesellschaft's disastrous trading program in 1992. More recently, he was one of the first to examine and again correctly predict the impact of outside investment in commodities. Dr. Verleger's investigations have influenced developments in oil markets. His research contributed to Saudi Arabia's adoption of a new market strategy in March 1999. He correctly predicted in April 1999 that the strategy would take crude oil prices to the mid to high 20s, a prediction that differed drastically from conventional views, which held that the Saudi effort to boost prices would fail. In August 2004, he warned that U.S. environmental regulations would, by limiting the availability of key petroleum products, cause crude oil prices to rise to $60 per barrel. He later wrote that the squeeze on product supply combined with the absence of central bank concern could take crude prices to $100.
Dr. Verleger received his Ph.D. in Economics from MIT in 1971, where he specialized in econometrics. He is the author of numerous academic papers in economics on energy markets. He began his work on energy as a consultant to the Ford Foundation Energy Policy Project in 1972. He then served as a Senior Staff Economist on President Ford's Council of Economic Advisers and Director of the Office of Energy Policy at the U.S. Treasury in President Carter's administration. He was the key author of the economic study that supported the end of U.S. controls on crude prices in the Carter administration.
David Portalatin has spent the past 13 years studying consumer purchase patterns and identifying trends in consumer behavior. Working with a diverse range of companies including major oil companies, convenience store chains, and consumer packaged goods manufacturers, David has developed a keen understanding of consumer behavior in the convenience retailing marketplace. David shares the insights gained through this experience by frequently speaking at conferences and corporate meetings. David assists manufacturers and retailers in integrating information into the decision-making process and applications relevant to the industry. David is an experienced presenter and has presented at many industry conferences and organizations including BPAMA, NACS State of the Industry Summit, Convenience Retailing Conference, The NACS Show, AAPEX (The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo), The Automotive Specialty Products Association, The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, The Automotive Market Research Council, and many others. He has presented at the executive level of several Fortune 500 companies including the world's leading food and beverage manufacturers, oil companies, and retailers.
- As one of the world'ss leading explorers, Swan brings a discussion of leadership, trust, mutuality and working together. In a tumultuous economic environment, all businesses are faced with challenges that can be met with the right leadership and commitment. Listen as he shares his story and insight about exploration to the North and South Poles, our environment and what it takes to overcome obstacles to achieve success. Swan embodies these characteristics everyday because trust, leadership and collaboration are not the ingredients of a successful exploration, they are a requirement if his team is to come home. A powerful discussion!