Once again, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) is offering exclusive opportunities for its stormwater exhibitors to participate in the WEFTEC and Stormwater Congress technical programs. The opportunity to speak at these co-located conferences not only benefits attendees, but also helps companies gain additional exposure.

The Stormwater Congress is co-located with WEFTEC, and both events are scheduled for September 26 – 30 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

Stormwater exhibitor sessions will be held in the Stormwater Pavilion on the WEFTEC exhibit floor and are offered in two formats: case studies and lightening round presentations. Case studies are open to all stormwater exhibitors. These presentations are 15 minutes in length, and speakers will describe case studies related to their company’s products. The lightening round presentations are open only to exhibitors in the Stormwater Pavilion and follow the PechaKucha style where 20 slides are shown for 20 seconds each. Slides are timed, so the presenter must follow the timing schedule. However, unlike the other presentations at WEFTEC, the lightening-round presentations can be sales-oriented, though they must contain technical merit.

Though not specific to stormwater, all WEFTEC exhibitors also can submit an abstract for the mobile sessions. Centered on various topics, mobile sessions bring attendees to selected booths to hear technical, educational presentations by exhibitor experts. Mobile sessions are in their fifth year and consistently rate highly in attendee satisfaction. Another option for all exhibitors is equipment demonstrations, which enable exhibitors to showcase the operation and maintenance of specific equipment.

Learn more about these opportunities and submit an abstract online. To be considered for the program, exhibitor abstracts must be submitted by May 27 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern.

In April, WEF also announced the Opening General Session, “Leading the Water Resource Revolution.”  This session will set the tone for a conference that draws thousands of water quality professionals from around the world each year. Scheduled for Monday, Sept. 28, this year’s program will feature remarks from WEF President Ed McCormick and a keynote address from Rob Stewart, an award-winning biologist, photographer, conservationist, filmmaker, and author. Stewart will discuss his film, Revolution, and his efforts to raise awareness about the greatest evolutionary journey in human history and the awe-inspiring revolution that’s underway to save life on Earth. Stewart’s thought-provoking presentation will tie into the water sector’s own revolutionary efforts to transform the way it manages and sustains water. Read more.

Additionally, WEF announced speakers for the WEFTEC 2015 plenary session, “The Impact of Leadership: Culture, Communication and Community in Great Water Cities.” Industry leaders from Chicago, Cincinnati, and California as well as Aarhus Water Ltd. and American Water will share lessons learned in making water a central priority and managing it in a way that transforms communities by improving resilience, livability, and economic vitality. Read more.