WEFTEC Spotlight

WEF and the International Society of Automation (ISA) are teaming up to promote the 2012 ISA Water/Wastewater Automatic Controls (WWAC) Symposium - which focuses on the challenges associated with automation and instrumentation in the water and wastewater sectors. A key initiative of this partnership will be to increase the involvement and presence of automation and instrumentation expertise at WEFTEC. Select speakers from the WWAC Symposium will be invited to present their innovative ideas and knowledge at WEFTEC 2012 in a special session entitled, “The Best of the ISA Water/Wastewater & Automatic Controls Symposium”.

To learn more about the collaboration, click here.

A recent ranking by the Trade Show News Network ranked WEFTEC #73 on its list of the 2011 Top 250 U.S. Trade Shows. The ranking took into account the 285,000 square foot show floor. WEFTEC 2011 hosted 923 exhibiting companies and nearly 17,000 attendees. All indications point to an even bigger and better attended show in 2012, so join us in New Orleans, Sept. 29–Oct. 3, and come see what makes WEFTEC one of the top trade shows in the United States!

See the full list here.

The updated version of the leading source that represents the international standard for best practices in water reuse will be released at WEFTEC. The EPA is updating the current “Guidelines for Water Reuse”  using references from WEF and other noteworthy organizations and individuals around the world to develop the document.   ”The guidelines provide important information on a range of water reuse practices for water and wastewater utilities, regulatory agencies, and other non-governmental organizations in the United States and around the world.”

“The update will highlight the range of water reuse applications being implemented around the world – from low-technology solutions to very advanced treatment technologies.” Last year, an overview of the content and a status report for the 2012 guidelines was presented at WEFTEC.

*Quoted content taken from an article by Vandertulip, Bell, et al. in WEF’s World Water: Water Reuse and Desalination Magazine

WEFTEC 2012 is going to be big on innovation! For the 1st time, the exhibition will feature an innovation pavilion complete with the latest in innovative water treatment technologies. The truly latest and greatest advances in resource recovery will be on display as the pavilion will showcase the winners and finalists of the 2012 Imagine H20 Wastewater Innovation Prize, the winners of the WEF Innovation Technology Award, and others still to be determined. Each will be joining us in New Orleans to present their tremendous ideas and award winning efforts on the exhibition floor for all WEFTEC attendees to see.

Want to read more about the innovative solutions of the Imagine H20 finalists? Please click here

Attending the exhibition at WEFTEC 2012 now gets you more than ever! This year, WEF will be expanding and adding new elements to an already comprehensive exhibit floor. The new and expanded features will include:

Over 20 technical sessions - To be held on the exhibition floor, making them available for all attendees to participate
Stormwater Pavilion – An area dedicated specifically to stormwater treatment products and services
Innovation Pavilion – An area dedicated specifically to innovative water treatment technologies
Trenchless Technologies Tour – To visit key vendors of different trenchless technologies, hear technical details, and compare options for collection systems rehabilitation.
Thickening and Dewatering Tour – To visit various vendors of equipment for the thickening and dewatering of solids and gather key technical information for this vital part of the treatment process.
Public Officials Tour – For select groups of public officials will be touring the exhibition floor to learn more about the water and wastewater industries to help best represent their constituencies.

Don’t forget registration is now open! We’ll See you in New Orleans, September 29th!

Let the good times roll: WEFTEC 2012 is officially open for business! The exhibitors have been lining up, the abstracts have poured in, and now the time has come to register and experience it all. Be one of the first to reserve your spot in New Orleans, Sept. 29–Oct. 3. Visit www.weftec.org/registration for more info about what’s included in each registration package.

Once you’ve registered tweet “I just registered for @WEFTEC 2012 in NOLA, see you there! #watersworthit #WEFTEC12”  @WEFTEC to be entered for a chance to win some brand new Water’s Worth It gear!

Save the date! WEFTEC registration opens March 30. Simply fill out the email reminder form and we’ll send you a reminder to reserve your spot at WEFTEC 2012, September 29 – October 3 in New Orleans.

The December issue of WEF’s flagship magazine, WE&T, puts the finishing touches on WEFTEC 2011. The articles summarize several presentations and also look into what issues and challenges will be upcoming in the water sector. You will also be able to get caught up on highlights from several WEFTEC events.  Read the entire WE&T WEFTEC Wrap-Up here.

Included in a separate set of articles is complete coverage of the 2011 Operations Challenge. These include a comprehensive guide with an inside look at the teams, the events, and the level of preparation that teams go through for this competition. Read the full Operations Challenge article here.

Thank you for your submission to WEFTEC 2012. We are very pleased to announce that this is the third highest submission count in WEF’s history. We appreciate your efforts to continue to make WEFTEC the best it can be by sharing your extensive knowledge with your peers.

We recognize that there were some issues in the submission process. With any new system there are changes and adjustments in expectations, as there were in this system. We thoroughly tested, yet did not experience some of the issues you might have experienced, so we appreciate all the feedback we have received. It is the only way we can improve. Rest assured that WEF staff will continue to make improvements to the system.

The Program Committee has begun their review. They are aware of the formatting limitations of the system and assure everyone that format will not deter them from picking any abstract. All abstracts will be considered equally with regard to format.

For those that asked about our selection of the system, we would like to provide a little bit more insight and information on why we selected it. There are three main reasons we went to this system.

• Environmental Benefits of System
  WEF is committed to the environment in all things that we do, and we encourage our volunteers to consider the use of our natural resources. This system has allowed us to transition to an online review and program selection, which reduces paper waste and eliminates mailings which consume multiple resources. 
• Innovation
  WEF is committed to implementing the latest technology to advance all of our products. The system has many flexible features that allow us to use it for all events and to modify it as we change and grow without major new investments each time. It is also linked to our overall content management system which will allow us to advance WEFTEC programming and training to the next level.
• Added Benefits to Speakers
  There are many benefits to the speakers that may not be obvious or have been implemented yet. First, it will be integrated with membership records so there is ability to use single sign on and other enhanced features. It will be integrated across all WEF events. It will be seamlessly integrated with other systems that speakers use, such as manuscript and Powerpoint submissions, to make those easier to use. And most importantly, we plan to use the abstracts to publicize the depth of technical knowledge that is presented at WEFTEC by you, and therefore give more exposure to all our speakers.

We are looking forward to implementing the new functionality of the system with our Program Committee and ultimately our WEFTEC attendees. We welcome your feedback and we will move forward with the comments we received to make it a valuable tool for all its users.

There are only a few days left to submit an abstract to put your stamp on the most respected and competitive educational program of its kind. WEFTEC, which will take place in New Orleans Sept. 29–Oct. 3, allows you to advance your reputation by presenting your works at the most highly regarded technical conference; to promote your expertise to an engaged audience of professional peers; and to personally enhance your own knowledge and the knowledge base of the industry.

For a list of  suggested abstracts topics, or for more information on the technical program, please visit http://www.weftec.org/Program/page.aspx?id=65. The deadline to submit an abstract is Dec. 1.

Have a great holiday!