Do you want pasta with that?

摘要

For the first time, the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) staged its Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) at an international venue. When you think about it, holding the SPE ATCE outside of the US is a foregone conclusion. If the SPE ever hopes to be known as an international organization servicing the entire industry, it must stage a percentage of its gatherings in overseas venues. On that basis, Florence, Italy, was an excellent first choice. The city was reasonably easy to get to, had innumerable side attractions to tempt family travel, great food, and friendly citizens.