Date SPE Event 1950s During the 1950s, the petroleum membership of AIME grew significantly, leading to restructuring decisions that would shape the future Society of Petroleum Engineers. October,6,1957 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 Dallas, Texas, with President John H. Hammond presiding. 1957 Membership 12,500 1958 During the 1960s, the new society developed products and services to address the technical interests of its growing membership. 1960s During the 1960s, the new society developed products and services to address the technical interests of its growing membership. 1960 Membership 14,806 1961 The first issue of the Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal is published. 1961 The Distinguished Lecturer series begins with three lecturers delivering 28 talks to members in 19 petroleum sections of AIME 1962 Ten technical committees are formed to ensure that a wide variety of technical areas are addressed in technical programs and publications 1967 The Monograph series begins with the publication of Pressure Buildup and Flow Tests in Wells by C.S. Matthews and D.G. Russell 1969 The first Offshore Technology Conference is held, underwritten by the SPE Activities Fund. The conference, with 4,200 in attendance, features 110 technical papers and 368 exhibit booths. 1970s During the 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. 1970 Membership 17,682 1971 The first Offshore Europe is held in Great Yarmouth, Scotland cinema under the name "Oiltech." 1975 First Long Range Plan 1979 The first Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference is held. 1979 The first SPE Forum is held at Colorado Mountain College, featuring the topicsProperties of Saturated Rocks of Interest to Petrophysicists and Geophysicists andThe Physical Control of Solids in Drilling Fluids 1980s During the 1980s, the industry suffered a downturn and roughly half of all jobs were lost. However, SPE membership remained stable, even experiencing growth, throughout the decade. 1980 Membership 38,799 1985 SPE is incorporated separately from AIME. 1986 Four discipline-specific technical journals are launched – SPE Drilling Engineering,SPE Production Engineering, SPE Formation Evaluation, and SPE Reservoir Engineering. 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. 1988 Forums are held in Europe for the first time. 1989 The first Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition is held. 1990s During the 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. 1990 Membership 51,586 1991 SPE's London office is opened 1992 Forums are held in Asia Pacific for the first time. 1993 Jacques Bosio becomes SPE's first non-US president. 1993 The concept of Applied Technical Workshops is first discussed. 1994 Forums are held in the Middle East for the first time. 1995 SPE's Kuala Lumpur office is opened. 1995 SPE.org, hosted by the Texas A&M Petroleum Engineering Department, goes live. 1996 Forums are held in South America for the first time. 1996 The first 5 ATWs are held in Europe and the US. 1998 The first Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference is held. 1998 DeAnn Craig becomes SPE's first woman president. 1998 OIL (Online Information Library), the precursor to eLibrary, is launched 1999 OIL (Online Information Library), the precursor to eLibrary, is launched 1999 JPT celebrates its 50th anniversary. 2000s During the 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. 2000 Membership 51,918 2000 The dues structure is revised to accommodate the make-up of all SPE members. 2000 A new governing structure consisting of technical directors and disciplines is implemented. 2000 Technical Interest Groups, or TIGs, are developed to connect SPE members interested in common technical topics. 2003 SPE's Dubai office is opened 2004 Training Marketplace is introduced, providing members a single source to explore training opportunities from multiple providers 2004 The first Young Professionals Workshop is held in Stresa, Italy. 2004 Women's Network is introduced, offering female members of SPE the oppertunity to share experiences and insights on gender-related career issues. 2005 Major enhancements to eLibrary are launched 2005 eMentoring is introduced to connect young professionals with fewer than five years in the industry and students with more experienced members. 2006 A pilot program to provide a Society-sponsored Petroleum Professional Certification is launched in Abu Dhabi. 2006 The first issue of The Way Ahead, a journal for Young Professionals, is published. 2006 LookUpstream is launched, providing a joint search of the SPE, AAPG and SEG digital libraries. 2006 Online eJournals are launched, offering members substantial cost and time savings over the printed and mailed copies. 2006 A new online-only journal, SPE Projects, Facilities & Construction, is started. 2006 The online Bookstore is updated, offering more titles and new search features.The number of papers downloaded from eLibrary since 2001 totals nearly 4 million 2006 Membership hits all-time high at 73,235
