When Behrooz Fattahi passes the mantle of Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) president to Alain Labastie, it will not happen in Dallas or Houston or New Orleans or San Antonio – it will happen in Florence, Italy.

This change of venue is just one of the remarkable things happening in the SPE. Both men shared their thoughts about the society over the past year and into the future.

Fattahi said much of his focus as president was encouraging more participation from members. "Since this is a member-driven organization, fostering active participation in SPE has been a central theme of my presidency," he said. "We have made it easier to find volunteer opportunities at SPE and to communicate interest in serving with the launch of an online volunteer database. I have seen firsthand this spirit of participation at work and have encouraged members at all career levels to get involved in SPE."

Fattahi also has helped to establish a committee that brings together experts on topics of sustainability to advise the SPE on ways to support the industry. In addition, he formed a task force to examine issues surrounding the industry's engagement of women in the work force. Further, "SPE will play an important role in providing a forum for a renewed emphasis on safety and environmental protection and in addressing what changes are needed in operations, equipment, technology, and training in light of the Deepwater Horizon incident," he said.

So why Florence? Fattahi said the venue was chosen four years ago because it offered the best combination of facilities, logistics, and services, including a central location for international members. "SPE recognizes the importance of making its annual meeting accessible to members all around the world," he said.

"Having the conference rotate to an international location this year is an important step in that goal."

Labastie added, "SPE is an outstanding example of successful globalization, thanks to the vision of my predecessors. Holding the event in Florence is really a natural progression of our commitment to serve our members everywhere and to be global. I see this conference as just one more way that SPE is meeting the needs of its members and fostering industry collaboration. This role will likely become even more important in the future."

While Florence is a beautiful and historic city, there will be more than sightseeing on the agenda. Fattahi said that this year's conference attracted 1,800 submissions, the largest number of paper proposals ever submitted for an SPE event. Of those, more than 400 were selected for presentation.

"These papers represent the best of the best," he said. Labastie takes the helm at a time of great uncertainty in the industry given the recent events in the Gulf of Mexico and the potential global fallout from those events. "SPE is really strong and well-respected, so its future is bright," he said. "However, like all organizations, we are facing some challenges." In some regions, for instance, the "great crew change" is taking place, which will affect the society's volunteer pool. "Considering the enthusiasm of our younger members, I believe we are in good shape to face this challenge," he said.

Another challenge is adjusting to the constantly shifting ways in which information is disseminated. "We have seen what is happening with the music industry," he said. "We will have to anticipate as well as we can the changes in the way people access information and adapt our business model accordingly."

Labastie's goals for his presidency are to develop a sense of ownership of members for the society, partly by furthering Fattahi's efforts to encourage volunteerism. He's targeting two countries – China and Russia – as places to foster more participation.

"Our primary mission is to disseminate and transfer technical knowledge, and in these countries there is a lot to transfer in both directions, to and from the country," he said.

Finally, Labastie said, the society will continue to play a role in providing "neutral and non-competitive places" for industry and academia to exchange information and experience.

"We will fulfill our primary mission, which is to disseminate technical knowledge," he said.