Registration has opened for the Water Leaders Summit 2018, hosted by The Water Council. The 11th annual summit will take place at The Garage at the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisc., June 27 to 28, 2018. The theme of this year’s discussions will revolve around global industries revving up water tech demand.
Unlike other conferences with breakout sessions, the summit’s structure features sessions combining brief, provocative story starters followed by conversations between moderators and global water leaders. These sessions and “waterside chats” connect audience members and global water leaders by providing engaging conversations and face-to-face networking opportunities. Past summits have explored relevant topics such as water security, global water crisis’ and urban planning strategies for resiliency.
This year’s agenda, with a focus on global industries revving up water tech demand, will highlight conversations between industry leaders discussing emerging sectors driving water tech demand, the food and beverage industry, the petroleum industry, the health economy, the sports industry and more. Global water leaders from a vast variety of sectors will contribute to the conversations and welcome interaction with attendees. Charles Fishman, author of “The Big Thirst: The secret life & turbulent future of water” and Fast Company contributor, will moderate sessions between industry leaders such as Kim Sturgess of Alberta WaterSMART, Ed Pinero of The Pinero Group LLC and Dale Hensen of Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. Rich Meeusen, president/chairman/CEO of Badger Meter Inc. and co-chair of The Water Council will host the event.
The summit’s location at The Garage of the Harley-Davidson Museum is just across the canal from the Global Water Center and Milwaukee’s Water Technology District, a hub of water industry growth. Wisconsin is home to more than 200 water technology companies and 20 academic institutions with water-based curriculum, including the nation’s only School for Freshwater Sciences and Institute for Water Business. Capitalizing on this ideal location, the Water Leaders Summit will offer a tour of the district on the first day of summit (time TBD) exploring locations, including the Global Water Center, Reed Street Yards Water Tech Business Park and Zurn Ind. Headquarters.
Other notably highlights attendees can anticipate include Waterside Chats and networking opportunities. The first day of the summit will conclude with an outdoor networking reception offering appetizers and cocktails as the summit opens the glass garage doors of the venue, and the summit will conclude with the opportunity to enjoy Bike Night at the Harley-Davidson Museum for an evening of live music and bike enthusiasm.
Past events have welcomed attendees from Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, France, Canada, South Korea and 20 U.S. states, and water leaders have praised the panel format and breadth of conversations.
“I thought the panel discussions were great, absolutely inspiring and interesting,” Jason Fues, senior operations manager of Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company said. “Some of the time, I did not want you to take questions from the audience because the conversation amongst the panelists was so interesting.”
For more information on the Water Leaders Summit, the full agenda and registration visit the summit’s website.