10 Oil and Gas Conferences You Should Consider Attending in 2017

Whether you work in accounting, data, land, production, or reserves, there’s an oil and gas conference out there for you

No matter your profession, attending a conference specific to your role is a great way to add new skills to your repertoire, hear from great speakers, learn about new trends, and network with people who do what you do every day.

For oil and gas professionals, it’s no different. Whether you work in accounting, data, land, production, or reserves, or a combination of two or more of these, there’s an oil and gas conference out there for you.

Below are 10 oil and gas conferences, ordered by date, you should take a look at and think about attending in 2017. This list was put together by 10 of our industry veterans here at P2, who have combined to attend hundreds of oil and gas conferences throughout their careers, so they know what’s going to give you what you’re looking for as an oil and gas professional.

Happy conferencing!

#1: Argus Americas Crude Summit – January 17-19
This will be the 9th Argus Americas Crude Summit, and as an attendee, you’ll hear from industry leaders and top policy experts about the changes you can expect in the year ahead – changes driven by a new U.S. presidential administration, OPEC’s decision to cut production for the first time since 2008, and other developments – and how they can impact your business. Gain insights, network, and plan your strategy for 2017.
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#2: COPAS Winter Meeting – January 26
COPAS (Council of Petroleum Accountants Societies) meetings are must-attend events for all you oil and gas accounting professionals out there. Their January meeting will cover audit, joint interest, and other emerging accounting issues. 
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#3: NAPE Summit – February 15-17
This massive three-day networking event gives prospects, producers, and purchasers the opportunity to connect, reconnect, and make deals. Last year’s NAPE (North American Prospect Expo) drew more than 700 exhibitors and 400 prospects from 35 countries, 43 U.S. states, and 450 cities. This year’s conference is expected to attract 1,000 exhibitors. 
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#4: Hart Energy’s DUG Conferences – March, April, June, and September
Sorry, but our team couldn’t pick just one here. Hart Energy launched the DUG brand – a series of conferences focused on the challenges and opportunities inherent to identifying and developing unconventional resources – in 2006. Today, there’s DUG Bakken and Niobrara (scheduled for March 15-16), DUG Permian Basin (April 3-5), DUG East (June 21-23), DUG Eagle Ford (September 12-14), and DUG Midcontinent (September 19-21). Each DUG event is produced with extensive input from industry professionals and delivers a mix of data, insights, and forecasts about financing, exploration, drilling, production, and delivery. 
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#5: Esri Petroleum GIS Conference – April 12-13
This conference puts you at the heart of the petroleum, gas, and pipeline GIS user community. As an attendee of the 27th Esri Petroleum GIS Conference, you can expect to learn valuable GIS best practices, add more contacts to your GIS network, hear about GIS technology trends, and get your most-important GIS questions answered in person. 
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#6: Offshore Technology Conference – May 1-4
I hope you don’t mind lots of people, because this is a big one. Last year’s conference, which was the 48th edition, attracted more than 68,000 attendees from 120 countries and 2,600 exhibiting companies. Energy professionals from around the globe come together every year at OTC to exchange ideas and opinions to advance scientific and technical knowledge for offshore resources and environmental matters. Because of its large international participation, OTC provides great opportunities for sharing best practices, expertise, products, and technology on a global scale.
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#7: PNEC’s International Conference on Petroleum Data Integration, Information, and Data Management – May 16-18
At PNEC’s (Petroleum Network Education Conferences) 21st International Conference on Petroleum Data Integration, Information, and Data Management, speakers from around the globe will share real-world issues, best practices, developments, and cross-discipline advances that address ever-expanding and complex data demands in today’s oil and gas industry. Upward of 600 oil and gas professionals and 50 exhibitors from leading technology companies are expected to be in attendance. 
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#8: SPE’s Unconventional Resources Technology Conference – July 24-26
URTeC brings the entire asset team together under one roof to connect on all things unconventional. Jointly organized by SPE (Society of Professional Engineers), AAPG (American Association of Petroleum Geologists), and SEG (Society of Exploration Geophysicists), URTeC connects the key technical and business professionals who decide where, how, and when plays will be developed and wells drilled. The conference averages 3,500 attendees from 40 countries and nearly 150 exhibiting companies. 
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#9: SPE’s Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition – October 9-11
Work in production? You’re going to want to go to this one. Since the first ATCE 93 years ago, this conference has attracted more than a half million of the E&P industry’s brightest minds from around the globe. This year’s event is expected to draw more than 10,000. Topics will include completions; drilling; health, safety, security, environment, and social responsibility; management and information; production and operations; projects, facilities, and construction; and reservoir description and dynamics. 
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#10: P2's ASCEND 2017 Conference – November 13-15
OK, maybe we’re a little biased here, but ASCEND really is an outstanding oil and gas conference. In an attempt to add some objectivity to this paragraph, here’s what one production supervisor told me after last year’s conference: “[ASCEND] is all about camaraderie and the opportunity to hear what other users’ processes and challenges are and to grow and learn from that. Since we all work at separate companies across the U.S., it gives us an opportunity to put faces with names and allows us to cultivate relationships that will help our businesses.” No matter your role at your organization, attending ASCEND is a great way to exchange best practices, learn new skills, and network with professionals like yourself. This year’s ASCEND will again take place at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country hotel. We’ll be opening registration soon, so be sure to keep an eye on your email and our website. 
Click to read the ASCEND 2016 recap...

About The Author
Alex Schultz works on P2’s corporate marketing and communications team. Prior to coming on board at P2, Alex worked as a news and sports reporter in California’s San Joaquin Valley, where he covered everything from local politics and citrus farming to college baseball and senior slowpitch softball leagues. When he’s not writing about the innovative and resilient upstream oil and gas community for P2, you’ll likely find Alex in one of two places: at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO, watching (and usually regretting his decision immediately) a University of Colorado football game, or trying (and usually failing) to hook a rainbow trout from one of Colorado’s mountain streams. Alex holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from CU-Boulder.