Student Pavilion fills to near-capacity for African fare, music, and celebration
by Chris Posey
The celebration began with a band of traditional African percussionists and dancers dressed in customary garb. As the quintet played an array of drums, xylophones, and other percussion instruments, a crowded room of delegates helped themselves to banquet tables filled with authentic African entrees…and desserts.
SEG president David Monk opened the reception with welcoming words and a reminder that those colleagues and friends present at the reception would continue to maintain a long-standing presence in each participant's life and career throughout the years ahead. Monk then handed off the microphone to the evening's host, Rocco Detomo. In addition to being the current Steering Committee Global Chairman, Detomo also served as the 2012 Honorary Lecturer to the Middle East and Africa.
Detomo began with a word of thanks to the reception sponsors in general, and then to Chevron, who sponsored travel grants for the speakers who took part in the Special Global Technical Session earlier that day. He continued with a brief overview of the technical session and, after calling a few raffle ticket numbers, Detomo then passed the microphone to the representatives of each sponsoring company.
Reception sponsors and their corresponding representatives included:
Marathon Oil – Alex Herger
PGS – Simon Cather
Chevron – Marti Hewell
ExxonMobil – Dan Feuerbach
Geophysical Insights – Hal Green
Following the sponsor presenations, Adefela (Fela) Aromolaran, the Global Affairs Committee (GAC) Regional Coordinator of Sub-Saharan Africa, took a moment to welcome and thank those in attendance at the reception on behalf of the GAC.
As more raffle ticket numbers were called, participants continued delving into Plantain Fritters, Masai Mara Dip, and Vegetable Samosas until the final prize, an Apple iPad, was awarded to one lucky winner. Raffle ticket prizes also included vouchers for SEG Continuing Education courses and for the Book Mart, gift certificates for SEG DISC recordings and virtual courses, and even a complimentary registration for the 2014 SEG Annual Meeting, which will take place in Denver, Colorado.
Each year, the International Reception serves to recognize and celebrate SEG's relationships and activities in a particular region of the world. Next year at the Annual Meeting in Denver, the focus region of the International Reception will be Asia Pacific.
SEG president David Monk opened the reception with welcoming words and a reminder that those colleagues and friends present at the reception would continue to maintain a long-standing presence in each participant's life and career throughout the years ahead. Monk then handed off the microphone to the evening's host, Rocco Detomo. In addition to being the current Steering Committee Global Chairman, Detomo also served as the 2012 Honorary Lecturer to the Middle East and Africa.
