SPE Event Naming Policy

This Events Naming policy became effective with SPE Board of Directors (BoD) approval for all SPE events on 7 March 2015.

Background

Currently, SPE and the SPE sections have to abide by the SPE Events Policies, last amended and Board approved in July 2023.

This Event Naming policy is an amendment to the existing Events Policies. This amendment provides better clarity and additional requirements so that it will be better understood and followed by both SPE Staff and sections.

This Event Naming policy is written as a service to our membership to ensure consistency and quality in our SPE branded events.

SPE Branded Events Covered in the Policy

  • Our customers should know from the event title what content is covered and in what format.
  • Successful recurring events should have a consistent title that is relevant from year to year.
  • Each of these events are defined so that the customer should know what to expect of the product or service.
  • This naming convention will be consistent across all events using the SPE name and logo.
  • This naming convention is also an important step towards establishing initiatives regarding technical quality.

Only these SPE-managed events (plus SPE webinars) will appear in the global events calendar (unless granted exception from TPM).

  • Conferences
  • Symposia
  • Workshops *
  • Summits *
  • Forums *
  • Training Courses

* already covered in the 2007 Events Policy

Event Naming Requirements

  1. All event titles will begin with “SPE”.
    E.g. “SPE Reservoir Simulation Symposium”
  2. All events must include the type of event in the official name, as defined in Appendix A.
    All workshops and forums must be listed with SPE [Workshop or Forum]: before the title

    E.g. “SPE Workshop: The Great Drilling Automation Debate” or “SPE Forum: Key Factors for Success in Unconventional Reservoirs”
  3. All regionally-based conferences with similar topics in multiple locations will use the naming convention: “SPE xxxxx Heavy Oil Conference”, where xxxxx is the name of the region.
    This will allow each of these typically larger events to be distinct from one another during marketing and promotion.
    E.g. “SPE Canada Heavy Oil Conference”
  4. The year of the event may not be included in the official title.
    Incorrect: “2014 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition”
    Correct: “SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition”
  5. The edition of the event may not be included in the official title.
    Incorrect: “3rd Annual Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference”
    Correct: “SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference”
    Note: The year or edition of the event can be used in the body of the marketing text and as a sub-heading on the website. Typically the date alone should indicate the year in which the event is being held.
  6. Conferences held in conjunction with a non-SPE controlled exhibition or show should not include the name of the show in the official name.
    Incorrect: “SPE Canada Heavy Oil Conference at Global Petroleum Show”
    Correct: “SPE Canada Heavy Oil Conference”
    Note: The name of the non-SPE controlled exhibition or show may be included in the body of the marketing text or as a sub-heading on the website and promotional material.
  7. For events where the program content is developed in partnership with a non-SPE association or partner, the names of all partners will be included in the event title.
    E.g. “SPE/IADC Drilling Conference
  8. The event title must correctly reflect the content of the technical program. If the title is specific to a topic or discipline, then the content in the technical program must match the title. If the title is very general, then the technical program should be necessarily broad.
  9. Event name acronyms are not to be used in official conference communications such as websites, printed brochures, and technical programs. If using the full name is awkward because of its length, rewrite the sentence or use a generic term, such as “the conference.”
    Exceptions:
    • The SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition may be referred to as ATCE in copy, but the full name of the conference should be the primary usage style.
    • The Offshore Technology Conference may be referred to as OTC.
    • The International Technical Petroleum Conference may be referred to IPTC.
    • Other exceptions include OE, LACPEC, MEOS, APOGCE.
  10. The official event name should be finalized and approved by the relevant SPE Managing Director before putting it on any public-facing source such as websites, printed brochures, and technical programs. SPE staff will consult with the relevant SPE Regional Director on event names.
  11. The official name of the event will be used consistently on all of the following:
    • Long Range Calendar
    • Global Events Calendar
    • Marketing/promotional materials
    • Pre-program/Full Technical Program
    • Event website
    • Official communications (Emails/Visa letters/Press Releases)
    • Technical papers generated for the event, if applicable.
    • Presentation materials
  12. Any modifications to an existing conference event name must have the Chief Operations Officer approval.
    Exceptions - Existing Partner Events:
    Both SPE and the partner-published materials should use the official name established according to the terms indicated in the agreement. However, it is the intent of this policy to reach naming consistency over time. If unable to reach agreement with a partner on a proposed name change, TPM must approve the continued use of the original name.

Appendix A
Event Type Comparison Tables

  Conference Symposium  Workshop
Attendees 200+ 100+ <175
Call for Papers Y Y N
Exhibitors Y Y N
SPE Staff-Managed Y Y Y
Regional/Section Managed N Y N
Invitation Only N N N
  Forum Summit Training Course
Attendees <75 <100 <30
Call for Papers N N N
Exhibitors N N N
SPE Staff-Managed Y Y Y
Regional/Section Managed N N N
Invitation Only Y Y N

*Denotes guideline, not policy

Event Type Definitions – Approved by the Board of Directors on 7 March 2015 and last amended and Board approved on 22 July 2023

Conference
An SPE Conference promotes the exchange of technical knowledge on current and proven technologies through technical paper presentations, and may include plenary sessions, panel sessions, and ePosters. In many cases conferences also feature an exhibition of the latest products and services, offering attendees a chance to experience new equipment and technologies in person. Conferences can be focused on a specific topic or have a broad technical scope. This technical information, including SPE technical papers, is further disseminated through publication in the conference proceedings and on OnePetro. Conferences are managed by SPE Staff.
Please note the use of “ePosters” may also include paper poster presentations.

Symposium
An SPE Symposium is a meeting of experts in a particular field. A Symposium serves as a transition event for a topic that has matured beyond the workshop format. Symposia can provide the opportunity for authors to publish papers, but the event may not be a fully papered program. The technical program committee may build their program from invited presenters and those selected through the Call for Speakers process, if offered. Programs may include paper presentations, no-paper presentations, plenary sessions, panel sessions, and ePosters. SPE manuscripts (if any) will be further disseminated through OnePetro. In many cases, symposia also feature an exhibition of the latest products and services, offering attendees a chance to experience new equipment and technologies in person.

A Symposium may be offered by a region or section provided the following conditions apply:

  • A Region or Section-managed event is one in which all services are provided by the section.
  • To offer papers for inclusion into OnePetro, the section is required to hire SPE Staff services to prepare a Call for Papers, to manage the paper submission process, and to produce the master CD of proceedings in addition to administering the post-event attendee survey. 
  • If a Region or Section-managed event is to appear on the SPE event calendar, the host region or section must submit an event request form (ERF) to TPM for approval. Any region or section-managed events must include the name of the region or section in the event title.
  • A Region or Section-managed event that has a Call for Papers, but does not post papers to OnePetro must still be approved by TPM through the ERF process. TPM may revoke the Call for Papers privileges of a Region/Section symposium if the technical quality survey ratings, from previous years, are considered poor. 

Please note the use of “ePosters” may also include paper poster presentations.

Training Course
An SPE training course is an event that has been reviewed and approved for technical quality and relevance by the Global Training Committee (GTC). A training course also may be approved by a regional advisory committee or a regional conference planning committee when there is insufficient time for GTC review or there is no intent to offer the course beyond a single event. They are usually lecture-based and taught by instructors who are subject matter experts. These courses cover practical, hands-on introductory, intermediate, and advanced engineering topics in all seven SPE technical disciplines as well as several nontechnical topics. Continuing education units (CEUs) are offered for completed courses.

Event Type Definitions Unchanged from 2007 Policy

Forum

  • An SPE Forum is an invitation-only SPE event, developed and approved through the Forum Series Coordination Committee that unites top technologists, innovators, and managers to explore a specific and emerging industry challenge not already addressed in existing SPE Conferences, Workshops, and Symposia. Participants are encouraged to come prepared to contribute their experience and knowledge rather than be spectators or students. The objective is to create a collaborative, idea-generating arena that stimulates new ideas and innovation about future challenges facing the E&P industry. 
  • A written summary may be prepared and distributed to the participants after the forum and at the discretion of the program committee and SPE approval.
  • Forums do not offer a Call for Paper, published presentations, sponsorships or exhibitions of any kind.

Summit

  • An SPE Summit is a one to three day, invitation-only SPE event with specific, predefined objectives.  It is a fast-track response to emerging issues, problems, technologies, and strategies of broad significance to the industry. Written records of the discussions and conclusions are published, with the intent of providing a deliverable that benefits the industry and has the potential to lead to further initiatives. Note, approval by the Finance and Strategy Committee is required for a Technical Report of the summit to be published.
  • There is neither a Call for Papers nor presentations offered. Summits do not include any commercialism and do not offer an exhibition.

Workshop

  • An SPE Workshop maximizes the exchange of ideas among attendees and presenters through brief technical presentations followed by extended Q&A periods. Highly focused topics attract an informed audience eager to discuss issues critical to advancing both technology and best practices.  Workshop topics must not overlap or conflict with those of other events. The technical program is comprised of presentations solicited by the program committee as opposed to a general Call for Papers or presentations.
  • Many of the presentations take the form of case studies, highlighting engineering achievements and lessons learned. To stimulate frank discussion, no proceedings are published, and members of the press are not invited to attend.  Presentations that have been authorized for release are compiled by the SPE Staff and released to attendees after the workshop.