As the chairman of the SPWLA 2023 organizing committee, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to Lake Conroe, Texas for a few days of technical exchange and networking.
The goal of the symposium is to share information and to ensure the knowledge captured over the past decades will be available to future generations of petrophysicists and geoscientists. New generations will be well represented by students competing in the annual student paper competition which will be hosted again in the US, with several universities nearby having a strong technical program and research focused on formation evaluation.
We have selected Margaritaville Lake Resort, an amazing venue to host the most important event in our society through June 10th-14th 2023. The hotel has an excellent selection of meeting rooms for dual sessions, workshops, society events and luncheons. There is a great choice of restaurants, cafes, bars and other recreation areas at the venue. It offers a substantial number of rooms with beautiful views of Lake Conroe that can accommodate all attendees. There will also be field trips, and social events every evening with opportunities for networking.
Conroe is a city in, and the county seat of, Montgomery County, Texas, United States, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Houston. It is a principal city in the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area. As of 2022, the population exceeds 100,000. According to the Census Bureau, Conroe was the fastest-growing large city in the United States between July 2015 and July 2016. The city is named after Union Cavalry officer and Houston lumberman Isaac Conroe. He founded a sawmill in the area in 1881. The city originally gained in wealth due to the lumber and oil industries and it was incorporated in 1904.
George W. Strake discovered the Conroe Oil Field in 1931. Condensate and natural gas were produced from the Cockfield Formation at a depth of about 5,000 feet (1,500 m). A second well in 1932 produced 1,200 BOPD. By 1935, the field had produced 40 million barrels of oil. During the 1930s, because of oil profits, the city boasted more millionaires per capita than any other U.S. city, though only briefly. After the construction of Interstate 45, many Houstonians began to settle communities around Conroe. I-45 provides a convenient way to reach Houston today.
Texas is the most active US state in the oil and gas industry, and has the most rig counts in the USA. In addition, several corporations are headquartered in Houston providing a great opportunity for business, development and networking. SPWLA is also headquartered in Texas.
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our exhibitors and sponsors. As many operating and service companies have offices in nearby Houston, Dallas and Austin, it will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase at the exhibition during the symposium.
Margaritaville Lake Resort also offers a great variety of activities for your family while you are attending the technical sessions. We will offer excellent spouse and guest events where they will have the opportunity to learn more about Texas. The Houston-metro area also has several attractions for all tastes nearby and very competitive prices for shopping.
We expect a significant number of attendees and a Texas-sized exhibition so do not miss a great opportunity to learn about recent advances in petrophysics while enjoying the hospitality of Texas. On behalf of my fellow committee members, we look forward to your support, participation and welcome you to the 64th SPWLA Annual Symposium in Lake Conroe, Texas.
Javier Miranda
General Chair 64th Annual Symposium
