When you think about it, holding the SPE ATCE outside of the US is a foregone conclusion. If the SPE ever hopes to be known as an international organization servicing the entire industry, it must stage a percentage of its gatherings in overseas venues. On that basis, Florence, Italy, was an excellent first choice. The city was reasonably easy to get to, had innumerable side attractions to tempt family travel, great food, and friendly citizens.

The city seemed to bend over backward to accommodate a fairly large crowd of delegates and exhibitors. The exhibition and conference center was clean and easy to navigate. Taxis were plentiful and reasonably priced. And for those who attempted it, walking was a pleasant experience. The central city is compact and most tourist attractions, hotels, the railway station, and local eateries were easily accessible on foot. Despite narrow streets, once you got your bearings, things were fairly easy to find.

There were hundreds of restaurants, each with good food, thanks to the competition. And the ubiquitous gelaterias were everywhere, with their mounds of sculptured ice cream in the windows. If you did not get your fill of pasta, you must have been elsewhere.

The technical program committee selected interesting and topical papers, which drew a well-populated attendance. The exhibition featured international and US companies, although the hall itself was split into three venues. Companies took advantage of the SPE ATCE to debut major new technology. There were new technology papers and e-posters presented as well, giving evidence to the fact that innovations still are being introduced to advance the techniques of drilling and production.

The idea of serving lunch on site was well received and kept people from drifting off for a lengthy Italian lunch elsewhere.

Overall attendance was down from previous annual meetings, which could be attributed to the general economic downturn. A number of papers were presented by supernumeraries because the principle presenter was prevented from traveling due to cost. Nevertheless, if SPE intends to continue having its annual meetings abroad, the membership will need to support them with its presence.

Meanwhile, back at the grindstone…
There remains an aura of cautious optimism among domestic and international producers. Although the current global recession has delayed some programs, with the exception of the Gulf of Mexico debacle, the oil and gas industry has fared much better than many others. The unconventional gas bug has landed in Europe with some tentative tests taking place in Poland. Considerable research on production from carbonates is centered in the Middle East, and positive results are being achieved on several fronts.

Coalbed methane interest has blossomed in northeastern Australia, where there is sufficient infrastructure to sustain demand. Many US companies are taking their coalbed expertise down under in anticipation of market growth.

In deep water, the Krishna-Godivari Basin offshore India is experiencing growth in activity, and Brazil is forging ahead with its deepwater development. It was announced recently that the Gulf of Mexico deepwater drilling ban would be lifted; however, a de facto ban persists while operators figure out the implications of the new regulations and permitting hurdles that have been imposed by the administration. The Macondo relief well was completed, ensuring that the reservoir is sealed. There remains an extensive post-mortem of all the procedures and recovered equipment to attempt to discover the root cause of the accident as well as the reasons for the failure of well-control equipment to perform as designed.

The doomsday prediction of a mass exodus of mobile offshore drilling units from the Gulf of Mexico turned out to be a non-event, but long-term effects might be felt when the full implications of the new regulations are understood.

And 33 very lucky Chilean gold miners were rescued from entombment 2,000 ft (610 m) below the surface thanks to the inspired application of well-drilling equipment and hard-rock drilling techniques. Good thing the drillers did not have to obtain a permit.

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