As I visit with members worldwide, one question comes up repeatedly—especially from section and student chapter officers: How can we clearly show both current and prospective members the value of joining SPE?
This is an excellent question, as it gets to the heart of a member-driven society such as SPE. At the same time, it can be a bit challenging for two reasons. First, there are so many benefits to SPE membership that it’s sometimes hard to highlight them all while focusing on what matters most to a particular person. Second, the conversation can feel transactional, which is not always comfortable in some settings. That said, in this column, I’ll hit on both aspects.
Before launching into things, I’ll note that the member benefits SPE emphasizes are quite data driven. The surveys SPE conducts—from post-conference feedback to widely distributed member surveys and everything in between—help the Board of Directors and SPE staff understand what is most important to our members and where to best focus resources and time. Please keep that in mind the next time one of those pesky surveys lands in your inbox—I promise it’s worth your time to complete it and voice your opinion!
First, let’s launch into the benefits of being an SPE member. And, again, I want to reinforce that the answer to “why join?” can be highly individualized. When talking with someone about the value of SPE membership, it’s best to start with what’s most important to them and to recognize that those priorities can change over time. With that in mind, I’ll group the benefits into four major categories: access to technical resources, networking opportunities, professional development, and recognition and awards.
Access to Technical Resources
This might be the most obvious category. After all, SPE’s mission focuses on knowledge exchange to innovate and advance technical and professional competence. Let’s start with OnePetro, which contains over 1.4 million searchable items from 23 different publishing partners, not just SPE, and is the definitive collection of articles for those working in our industry. As a member, you receive 10 free papers each year (you’d be amazed at how many people don’t take advantage of this), along with access to thousands of open-access articles at no cost. From core oil and gas topics to new energies and carbon management, it’s all here.
SPE’s peer-reviewed journal, SPE Journal (SPEJ), also feeds into OnePetro. With a current impact factor of 3.0, SPEJ provides members with a place to publish peer-reviewed content, as well as access to that content through OnePetro.
Then there are the magazines: the flagship Journal of Petroleum Technology (JPT) and The Way Ahead (TWA). For anyone who reads JPT, you know it focuses on topics that are critical to our industry from a technical standpoint and how that technology impacts commerciality and future developments. Many of the articles are written by JPT editors, but there is also content from multiple sources, including guest editorials, and articles are posted on a continuous basis. TWA is written “by young professionals for young professionals,” and while that is the tagline, much of the content is relevant across all career stages. It includes technical articles, as well as professional development, mentorship discussions, editorials, and timely discussions on trending topics.
Networking Opportunities
Beyond the written word, let’s talk about what may be the most frequently cited reason for SPE membership—the networking opportunities. SPE is a one-stop shop for connecting with others who work in our industry. I often share this statement with students: “Your grade point average and CV will get you your first job, but your network will help you get every job after that.”
For those of you past the student stage, think about the people you’ve met at a conference, section meeting, or other in-person event—how you later connected with them on LinkedIn, and how that connection brought benefits down the road. Yes, we can connect directly on LinkedIn, but that initial interaction—whether it’s a brief discussion after a paper presentation, stopping by to speak with an exhibitor about a piece of equipment, or a quick conversation with an SPE Distinguished Lecturer before their presentation—is what truly builds the connections that lead to future opportunities.
SPE is the place for networking in our industry, whether it’s local or on a worldwide basis. Student chapters (more than 400 worldwide) and geographical sections (more than 200 worldwide) provide opportunities to meet others in local areas to discuss technical topics, participate in events like Energy4me that inform the public and future generations, or just enjoy some comradery while engaging in activities like a community or sporting event.
SPE’s 25 technical sections provide opportunities to meet with other like-minded professionals from around the world on technical topics. As an SPE member, you can join as many technical sections as you like and keep up to date on all the related technical topics. I’d argue that no other organization in the world provides this type of timely, worldwide access and professional development on topics of such importance to our industry.
And then there are SPE events—conferences, workshops, and forums. While they have registration costs above an SPE membership, every SPE International event is priced so that non-member registration is at least the cost of SPE membership higher than the member rate. In other words, if you’re going to attend an SPE event, become a member first—you’ll save money and gain access to all the other benefits I’m discussing in this column!
While I understand the cost of an event is what appears on an expense report or comes out of your bank account, the intangible benefits—networking and the connections you make—far outweigh the tangible cost. For those who have participated, I challenge you to list the people you’ve met at these events—whether you reached out later on a technical question or it led to a sale, equipment rental, a new understanding of a software package, or even a friendship or mentorship—you may be surprised at how quickly the benefits add up.
Professional Development
Now let’s talk about professional development. SPE has hundreds of videos, totaling thousands of hours of content, translated into more than 190 languages, available for free to members through the SPE Energy Stream platform. Whether it’s a Distinguished Lecturer presentation you couldn’t attend, technical discussions hosted by the technical sections, or panels on virtually any topic, these videos are all free to members. Again, I’d argue that no other platform or organization provides this type or volume of timely, valuable content to its members. Additionally, training courses are available at discounted rates for members and include CEU and PDH credits.
I am frequently asked what benefit SPE offers to smaller companies, especially when it sometimes seems the focus is on larger ones. While the topics above really do apply to all, this is a key reason SPE membership can be particularly valuable for those outside large major companies. If a company or individual lacks in-house training opportunities, SPE provides them in a ready-made, cost-effective way. If CEU are needed, they’re readily available through membership. SPE delivers resources that smaller companies might not otherwise have access to.
Recognition and Awards
And finally, last but not least, like many professional societies, SPE offers members the opportunity to be recognized for their critical contributions to both industry and society. From international to regional awards, the SPE awards program is a one-of-a-kind platform for this recognition. Categories cover SPE and industry activities, including technical contributions, service to colleagues, professional excellence, industry leadership, career achievement, and public service.
The Transactional Component
We work in an industry often focused on net present value and rates of return, and understandably, we also must make decisions based on cost/benefit ratios. While some companies sponsor their employees’ SPE memberships, others do not, or employees must choose which professional organization their company-paid membership supports. Personal income and costs are not always easy to discuss publicly, but I want offer some perspective.
First, while the cost of SPE membership might seem high to some, it’s worth comparing. As far as professional societies go, SPE is comparable—or even relatively low cost—considering the content available to members (for more details, see the September 2025 article). Membership fees aren’t set solely on this basis, of course, but the point is that SPE strives to offer a reasonable price while delivering the services members expect.
Some of you may have access to other local groups or country-focused societies that compete with SPE and may offer lower costs or programming in local languages. That’s understandable, but such groups cannot match the worldwide access SPE provides to technological advances and the current state of the industry through the resources discussed above. Local groups may have social appeal, but can they offer the professional development that SPE provides?
Next, for a personal perspective: Without sounding harsh, I would challenge us each to consider the “bang-for-the-buck” of our memberships vs. other personal expenses. Many of us make decisions about dinners on the weekend, movies, or to feed our weekly coffee habits. If your company doesn’t sponsor your SPE membership and you pay out of pocket, think about whether reallocating some of those expenses could fund a membership that benefits you for a lifetime. Can you trade out a weekly cappuccino to enhance your professional capabilities or networking that could lead to a better opportunity? As I mentioned earlier, networking can be one of the most beneficial aspects of your membership, even though it is an intangible asset. Yet it becomes quite tangible when it leads to your next job or connect with the person who can solve a challenging technical issue you’re facing.
Building on that, a quick note to companies or managers considering whether to sponsor employees’ dues: think about all the benefits of SPE membership I’ve outlined. If you are looking to invest in your employees and their futures while also benefiting from gained knowledge as a company, what better way than through SPE membership.
A challenge that I personally face is fitting all the benefits of SPE membership into a 30-second elevator pitch when someone asks why they should join. Ironically, an SPE membership offers so much that it’s impossible to cover in that time. In fact, there are many other aspects that I haven’t even touched on in this article. That’s why I started out by saying that it’s helpful to identify what matters most to a prospective member (if you can) and focus your elevator pitch on those topics.
And for those of us who are current members, I’ll echo something one of my recent predecessors often said. Terry Palisch, the 2024 SPE President, frequently pointed out that “SPE membership is like a gym membership—if you don’t use it, you don’t benefit from it.” I encourage all of us to dig into just what our membership truly brings, and I think we’ll find that the value proposition really is there!
Until next month …
You can contact the SPE President at President@spe.org.
