History of SPE

In 1957, the organization was officially founded as SPE, a constituent society of AIME. SPE became a separately
incorporated organization in 1985.

Our history begins within the American Institute of Mining Engineers (AIME). AIME was founded in 1871 in
Pennsylvania, USA, to advance the production of metals, minerals, and energy resources through the application of
engineering. In 1913, a standing committee on oil and gas was created within AIME and proved to be the genesis of
SPE. The Oil and Gas Committee of AIME soon evolved into the Petroleum Division of AIME as membership grew and
as interest among the members was more clearly delineated among the mining, metallurgical, and petroleum
specializations.
1950s
The petroleum membership of AIME grew significantly, leading to restructuring decisions that would shape the future
of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

1960s
The new society developed products and services to address the technical interests of its growing membership.

1970s
Membership grew rapidly, doubling by the end of the decade. The first Long Range Plan was implemented, and helped
the Society map out its future for the decade to come.

1980s
The industry suffered a downturn and roughly half of all jobs were lost. However, SPE member ship remained stable,
even experiencing growth, throughout the decade.

1990s
SPE became more culturally diverse as the growth rate of international sections increased. SPE also became more
technologically far-reaching with the introduction of international Forums and the launch of SPE.org.

2000s
SPE reached its highest number of members in its history, partly due to the high growth rate in the number of student
members and chapters. Today SPE continues its constant search for new ways to meet member needs in all phases of
their careers in all parts of the world.

Major Events and Membership Growth

2017 Senior Professionals group created for members aged 55 and older.

2016 Drilling and Completions technical discipline split to best serve these growing communities.

2014 Membership tops 124,000+

2013 SPE adopts new strategic plan

2013 PetroWiki is launched with the full contents of the Petroleum Engineering Handbook in a wiki for
members to update

2013 Membership tops 110,000+

2012
Oil and Gas Facilities magazine (now an online publication) launched.
2011 Membership tops 97,100+

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held outside of the United States for the first time
2010 (Florence, Italy).

2010 Membership tops 92,000+

SPE completes merger with Petroleum Society of Canada, with combined membership of 4,500 in
2009 Canada

2009 OTC celebrates 40th anniversary

2008 SPE adopts Strategic Plan

2008 Membership tops 88,000+

2007
OnePetro, a multi-society library, is launched with support from SPE's Foundation.

2006 Membership hits all-time high at 73,235

2006 The number of papers downloaded from eLibrary since 2001 totals nearly 4 million.

2006
The online Bookstore is updated, offering more titles and new search features.

2006 A new online-only journal, SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction, is started.

Online eJournals are launched, offering members substantial cost and time savings over the printed
2006 and mailed copies.

2006 LookUpstream is launched, providing a joint search of the SPE, AAPG and SEG digital libraries.

A pilot program to provide a Society-sponsored Petroleum Professional Certification is launched in

2006 Abu Dhabi.

eMentoring is introduced to connect young professionals with fewer than five years in the industry
2005 and students with more experienced members.

2005
The first issue of The Way Ahead, a journal for Young Professionals, is published.

2005 Major enhancements to eLibrary are launched.

The society adopted a business structure centered around the establishmentof the Society of
Petroleum Engineers Stichting, a not-for-profit headquarteredin the Netherlands, to streamline what
had become a very complex organizationand provide more efficient support to members
2004 everywhere.

Women's Network is introduced, offering female members of SPE the opportunity to share
2004 experiences and insights on gender-related career issues.
2004 The first Young Professionals Workshop is held in Stresa, Italy.

Training Marketplace is introduced, providing members a single source to explore training

2004 opportunities from multiple providers.

2003 SPE's Dubai office is opened.

Technical Interest Groups, or TIGs, are developed to connect SPE members interested in common
2000 technical topics.

2000 A new governing structure consisting of technical directors and disciplines is implemented.

2000 The dues structure is revised to accommodate the make-up of all SPE members.

2000 Membership 51,918

1999 The number of ATWs doubles from 5 in 1996 to 10.

1999
JPT celebrates its 50th anniversary.

1998 OIL (Online Information Library), the precursor to eLibrary, is launched.

1998 DeAnn Craig becomes SPE's first woman president.

1998 The first Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference is held.

1996 Forums are held in South America for the first time.

1996 SPE's first five workshops are held in Europe and the US.

1996 Forums are held in South America for the first time.

1995 SPE.org, hosted by the Texas A&M Petroleum Engineering Department, goes live.

1995 SPE's Kuala Lumpur office is opened.

1994 Forums are held in the Middle East for the first time.

1993 The concept of Applied Technical Workshops (ATWs) is first discussed.

1993 Jacques Bosio becomes SPE's first non-US president.

1992 Forums are held in Asia Pacific for the first time.

1991 SPE's London office is opened.

1990 Membership 51,586

1989 The first Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition is held.

1988 Forums are held in Europe for the first time.

1987 SPE obtains the rights to the Petroleum Production Handbook, originally published in 1962 by
McGraw-Hill, and publishes a revision re-titled the Petroleum Engineering Handbook.

Four discipline-specific technical journals are launched – SPE Drilling Engineering, SPE Production
1986 Engineering, SPE Formation Evaluation, and SPE Reservoir Engineering.

1985 SPE is incorporated separately from AIME.

1980 Membership 38,799

The first SPE Forum is held at Colorado Mountain College, featuring the topics Properties of
Saturated Rocks of Interest to Petrophysicists and Geophysicists and The Physical Control of Solids
1979 in Drilling Fluids.

1979 The first Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference is held.

1975 First Long Range Plan

1971 The first Offshore Europe is held in Great Yarmouth, Scotland under the name "Oiltech."

1970 Membership 17,682

The first Offshore Technology Conference is held, underwritten by the SPE Activities Fund. The
1969 conference, with 4,200 in attendance, featured 110 technical papers and 368 exhibit booths.

The Monograph series begins with the publication of Pressure Buildup and Flow Tests in Wells by
1967 C.S. Matthews and D.G. Russell

Ten technical committees are formed to ensure that a wide variety of technical areas are addressed
1962 in technical programs and publications.

The Distinguished Lecturer series begins with three lecturers delivering 28 talks to members in 19
1961 petroleum sections of AIME.

1961 The first issue of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal is published.

1960 Membership 14,806

1958 The SPE Reprint Series begins with the publication of Well Logging.

1957 Membership 12,500

The Petroleum Branch of AIME becomes a full-fledged professional society - the Society of
Petroleum Engineers of AIME. On October 6, 1957, the first Board of Directors meeting was held in
1957 Dallas, Texas, with President John H. Hammond presiding.