Finally, this long-awaited event has become a reality. The conference was preceded by a long and difficult preparatory work, numerous approvals and changes, trips of UAG representatives abroad and visits of AAPG managers to Kyiv, the conclusion of a partnership agreement between the European AAPG Representative Office and UAG, painstaking work on a scientific program and field trips. The efforts of the conference organizing committee were not wasted: fundamental organizational and financial issues were resolved and Kyiv was chosen as the venue for the conference. It should be highlighted the day-to-day work to attract sponsorship funds and to balance between the available budget and the need to adhere to generally accepted international standards and listen to the wishes of potential participants. It should be noted that the first post-crisis year seriously affected the organization process, and only due to the principled position of the board of Nadra Concern, which provided a considerable financial and organizational support, the format of the event was at the appropriate level. Due to this, the main purpose of the conference was to attract the attention of the leading oil and service companies of the world to the prospects of the Black Sea-Caspian region, and thus to the resource potential of the Azov-Black Sea oil and gas province of Ukraine through the international scientific conference of the highest expert level and the largest regional representation.
It is a good idea to add a few words about AAPG - the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. The world's largest trade union was founded in 1917 and has more than 30,000 members in its ranks from most countries of the world, although, its core is the Earth science specialists from North America. Petroleum geologists, prospecting geophysicists, tectonists, stratigraphs and paleontologists, coal miners, ore geologists, resource and mining experts, exploration and mining licensing, environmentalists and other professionals are widely represented in the association. AAPG conducts intensive publishing, scientific, practical and educational activities, publishes monographs, textbooks, conducts conferences, seminars, exhibitions, advanced training courses (including distance learning), lectures tours of the best industry specialists, sponsors the student and postgraduate researches and more. The most famous editions of the association are Explorer Magazine and AAPG Newsletter. The latter has had the best industry impact factor for decades, so oil geologists are very appreciative of its publications. All information about AAPG, its structure, online library, services and more can be found at www.aapg.org AAPG is affiliated with dozens of geological national associations and trade unions. The world's largest oil companies cooperate with and sponsor the association. The Ukrainian Association of Geologists became affiliated with the AAPG Geological Society, which created the basis for fruitful collaboration and organizational contacts, both formal and creative. Conference materials
The conference was preceded by a geological excursion "Geology of the Crimean Mountains in the context of research in the Black Sea, which took place on 15-16 October 2010.