The World Petroleum Congress is the triennial "Olympics of the petroleum industry": every three years, a different host country. WPC 2026 lands in Riyadh, 11-15 October at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center. Saudi Aramco hosts.
Scale + significance
- First WPC in Saudi Arabia: this is a national-pride event
- Five days, expected ~10,000 delegates + ~50,000 exhibition visitors
- All major NOCs + IOCs + supermajors present at the ministerial / CEO level
- The industry-narrative-setting venue of the year: what's said at WPC 2026 frames the global oil & gas conversation through 2027
What's on the programme
WPC's technical programme is broader than SPE/EAGE; it spans:
- Upstream geoscience + engineering
- Downstream refining + petrochemicals
- Strategic / policy / economic analysis
- Energy transition
- Talent + workforce
- Sustainability + ESG
- Digital + AI
The 2026 edition will lean heavily into:
- Saudi Aramco's digitalisation programme: globally one of the largest operator-side AI investments
- Saudi Vision 2030 energy strategy presentation
- GCC carbon storage ambitions
EarthScan plans
Tarry will attend. WPC 2026 is the right venue for senior-level operator conversations, exactly where mid-tier-vendor relationships with NOCs get scoped.
