Midstream Matters: Collaboration Drives Innovation — and a New Technical Conference Attendance Record

The 2026 GPA Midstream Technical Conference last week was a reminder of something our industry knows but does not say loudly or frequently enough: midstream is innovative, growing, exciting, and built for the long term.

Attendance reached a new high, surpassing the record set in 2019. Strong turnout is more than a number, it's a sign of energy, commitment, and confidence in where our industry is headed.

Across seven forums, speakers presented 20+ papers on practical solutions, updates to standards, new ideas, and the technical issues our members face every day. At the same time, committees and workgroups met throughout the conference to do what GPA Midstream does best: bring people together to compare notes, test ideas, sharpen standards, and advance work on solving industrywide challenges.

That mix of presentations, committee work, and peer-to-peer discussion is what makes Technical Conference so valuable. It's a place to listen and contribute. It's a time for technical professionals to share experience, challenge assumptions, and build practical tools the industry can use. And it's an opportunity to form the personal and professional relationships that help make technical experience and expertise flow.

It's also where new volunteers get introduced to the work and where seasoned professionals help pass knowledge to the next generation. The technical expertise expressed through GPA Midstream is built on year-round collaboration that keeps technical information accurate and useful.

The atmosphere at Technical Conference reflected something bigger than a successful event. It reflected an industry with purpose. Midstream is solving real problems, improving operations, and investing in the expertise needed to keep energy moving safely and reliably. That's why GPA Midstream and GPSA are vital industry institutions. The associations are not bystanders to this progress, we're catalysts that convene the elements that make it happen.

Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, met, volunteered, and collaborated. Your participation made this year's Technical Conference a record-setting success, and it reinforced a message worth carrying forward: midstream has a strong future, and GPA Midstream will continue helping lead the way.

Sarah Miller is President and CEO of GPA Midstream and CEO of GPSA.