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For the first time since the 2018 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE), the flagship technical conference was held in-person in the US. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to meet virtually in 2020, and in 2021 we met in Dubai. It was exciting to start meeting our fellow SPE members in-person again. We had a successful ATCE with more than 5,500 members from 58 countries participating. The conference included the traditional technical program (the backbone of SPE meetings) and panel discussions that were highlighted by the opening general session where senior executives from operating oil and gas companies, service companies, and consulting firms shared their views about how to transform the industry for the future in a sustainable manner anchored by our traditional petroleum engineering activities.
Additional sessions included a special panel discussion designed to listen to the members’ ideas regarding the SPE Strategic Plan, which I will discuss later in this column. Along with the extensive technical program, the main feature of ATCE that included more than 400 peer-selected papers from more than 1,200 abstracts submitted to the program committee, ATCE featured expansive exhibits where more than 220 companies showed their services and products to the attending members. Maybe a photo from this year’s ATCE showing large number of members in the exhibition hall?
On the evening of the first day of the conference, alumni from various universities gathered at receptions to renew and start new friendships and discuss the future developments needed in petroleum engineering education at their universities. On Tuesday night, the Annual Reception and Awards Banquet honored members by presenting awards acknowledging the excellent contributions they made to our profession and in serving the members of the Society. On the last day of the conference, the President’s Luncheon and Annual Meeting of the Members was held where 2022 President Kamal Ben-Naceur discussed the state of the Society and passed the gavel to me to start the new year of SPE. Insert photo of passing the gavel? Feedback from members attending the conference was positive, and preparation for next year’s ATCE, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, from 16–18 October, is underway. The Call for Papers is officially open at the 2023 ATCE site.
In 2022, several events took place that required a pause to think about their effect on our Society. It is time to close the chapter on these events, recognizing the lessons learned from them, and move forward with the main activities of SPE to provide members with the technical and professional support that allows us to provide the world with the energy it needs—safely, reliably, and in an environmentally friendly and affordable manner.
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