ERIE, Pennsylvania — The Marcellus Shale Coalition, the premier energy industry trade association in the country, didn’t pick this Northwestern Pennsylvania location for its stunning Great Lake sunsets. But it doesn’t hurt that the views at the Bayfront Convention Center, where its annual Shale Insight event is held, are spectacular.

Dave Callahan, the new president of MSC, said it was time to move the event out of the bigger cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia to cities like Erie because of the outsize positive impact they have in guiding the industry to the future.