Wrapping Up the 2016 POC

At the ripe old age of 57, the Pacific Oil Conference had yet another fantastic year in Los Angeles.  Held on September 6-8 at the JW Marriott, LA LIVE, the POC is the place to be for petroleum marketers and convenience store retailers and this year was no exception.  In case you missed it, here's a little bit of what happened...

We started Tuesday with our annual golf tournament at the Industry Hills Golf Club and, fortunately, this year the weather was perfect (last year our stalwart golfers endured temperatures of 100 degrees!).  Additionally, we held Education Sessions and our Welcome Reception.  If you're interested in seeing the education sessions from this year, you can still check them out at www.petroshow.com/sessions.  We ended the evening with our annual bowling tournament, which was absolutely packed!  We urge anyone interested in bowling or spectating to get your registration in as early as possible next year.

Wednesday kicked off with education sessions that included three keynote sessions and plenty of expert speakers.  The trade show opened its doors midway through the day and was teeming with eager attendees until the doors closed for the day.  The trade show also concluded with the General Chair's Reception on the trade show floor, which gave attendees a chance to network with other attendees and exhibitors alike.  Wednesday concluded with our new networking cocktail reception, which, aside from offering good food and drinks, was an incredibly well-attended networking opportunity for all participants.

Thursday, we closed down the conference with our Prayer Breakfast, the final day of the trade show, and the last day of educational sessions.  Saving the best for last, our Prayer Breakfast speaker this year was none other than The Legendary Straw Man, Darryl Strawberry.  His story of battles and hope (not to mention, he is a legend) brought one of our most crowded Prayer Breakfasts in some time.  He also stuck around to meet with attendees and sign autographs--quite the experience!

The POC would like to graciously thank our supporters, volunteers, sponsors, attendees, and exhibitors for making this yet another truly great year, and a big thank you to our Showcase Sponsor, Shell Oil Company, and our Premier Retail Sponsor, Phillips 66.  We look forward to seeing everyone at next year's POC, September 5-7, 2017!