Conference review The challenges of the drilling industry, technology advances, and the improvements needed to meet growing global oil demand in a safe, environmentally sound manner were the center of attention at the 25th SPE/IADC Drilling Conference held 5–7 March in Amsterdam. A final attendance of 2,079 was the highest since the record level of 2,113 in 2007, a clear sign of the industry’s return to strength since the 2008–2009 global economic downturn. This year’s attendance was the second highest in conference history. In 18 technical sessions, the conference covered a full slate of subjects including deepwater drilling; wellbore placement; drilling automation; early detection and well control; managed pressure and underbalanced drilling; and health, safety, and environment. A total of 102 papers were presented, selected from more than 350 abstracts, and there were 28 ePoster presentations. The exhibition featured displays by 128 organizations, providing attendees the opportunity to see and discuss the latest in equipment, services, and other resources supporting the global exploration and production industry. In addition, a Young Professionals luncheon featured keynote speaker Eric van Oort, Lancaster Professor in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, who addressed “The Great Crew Change.” Delivering Wells “Delivering Wells in a Critical World” was the theme of the conference plenary session on 6 March. Moderator Ole Slorer, director of global oilfield services at Morgan Stanley Research, framed the industry’s challenge over the next 7 years. The drilling sector will need to bring on 27 million BOPD of new production to meet expected world demand by 2020, with most of the increase anticipated to come from fields already discovered. The biggest contributors will be deepwater fields, particularly those in ultradeepwater, and liquids-rich shale formations in North America, he said. Environmental risk and rising costs will put increasing pressure on drillers, and projects will become more complex, Slorer said. In addition, the world’s floating offshore drilling rig fleet will need to expand from 300 today to about 500 by 2020. Is the industry “ready for this challenge?” he asked.