Here's what to watch for at LAGCOE 2017

Oct 13, 2017

LAGCOE 2017 is right around the corner. LAGCOE is excited to welcome thousands of oil and gas industry personnel to the Cajundome and Convention Center for three days of industry commerce, education and networking. Every other October, the energy industry comes together for LAGCOE’s technical expositions and conferences in Lafayette, an area with a high concentration of service sector facilities in the very heart of America’s energy corridor.

Although LAGCOE 2017 is open exclusively to oil and gas industry personnel, LAGCOE is excited to host events to further its mission of cultivating economic growth of the energy industry by facilitating domestic & global business development and fostering the energy workforce pipeline.

On Oct. 26, the Young Professionals of LAGCOE will be hosting a breakfast meeting from 7-9 a.m. at the Cajundome Mardi Gras Ballroom to wrap up the 2016-2017 year of the LAGCOE Mentor Program, as well as kick off the next session in the program’s history. The breakfast will feature guest speaker Tony Robichaux, head coach of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Baseball team. The Young Professionals of LAGCOE mentor program seeks to meet the needs of individuals and pair people together for the best mutual benefit, creating a rare opportunity for career development.

Participants from this year’s program have been meeting regularly with his or her mentor to discuss challenges and opportunities with a career in the energy industry, as well as to receive overall career development advice from seasoned professionals in the energy industry who are ready and willing to share countless stories of triumph and failure, as well as lessons learned, throughout his or her career in the industry.

The next round of mentor/mentee pairs will be matched in early 2018. Anyone interested in participating the program is encouraged to register to attend this breakfast event by visiting www.LAGCOE.com/register.

Also happening Oct. 26 is the Career Center at LAGCOE 2017, which will be open from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. To aid individuals in the energy industry seeking employment as well as companies looking to staff up, LAGCOE is excited to facilitate The Career Center at LAGCOE 2017 that will help professionals as they work to keep skills fresh and seek employment.

The goal of The Career Center is to educate attendees about best practices for job searching and other useful career development skills. Sessions will include resume review, interview tips and understanding the job application process from human resource professionals. Professional attire is required to enter The Career Center. Pre-registration strongly recommended. Career Seekers must register for LAGCOE 2017 by visiting www.LAGCOE.com/register and selecting "Career Center (THURSDAY ONLY)".

Later that morning, LAGCOE and INNOV8 Acadiana are again teaming up to host the 3rd annual Energy Innovators Pitch Challenge to connect the best new energy innovators with investors ready to move their business ideas forward. Learn more about the event at www.LAGCOE.com/energy-pitch.

On Oct. 25, The Acadiana Society of Human Resource Management (ASHRM) will host its ASHRM/ LAGCOE Workshop: Survival Kit in the Energy Industry. This free two hour workshop will discuss employment law issues of interest to energy industry managers and HR professionals. Included topics will be FLSA collective actions challenging classification of oilfield workers as exempt or as independent contractors, including recent decisions of interest; handling furloughs lawfully; the always important and problematic issue of harassment in the workplace; restrictive covenants; new developments at the federal agencies on labor and employment issues of interest to employers; and other important issues and developments. Learn more and register at https://www.runmyclub.com/ashrm/eventcalendar.asp.

View the full listing of events happening during LAGCOE 2017 at www.LAGCOE.com/expo/calendar-of-events.

Lauren Rabalais is marketing coordinator for LAGCOE, an energy industry nonprofit organization focused on educational programs and a technical exposition & conference, held biennially in October at the Cajundome & Convention Center. Save the Date for LAGCOE 2017: October 24-26, 2017. Visit LAGCOE.com/expo.