What to Look Out For
The trade show will feature more than 240 exhibiting companies and dozens of educational sessions (more than 50 in 2019). In 2019, the show brought to Las Vegas approximately 3,200 attendees, representing 45 countries. Professionals from all areas of the water industry, including manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and dealers, as well as those in related roles such as marketing, research or finance that support the industry should plan on attending the show, according to WQA President Steve Ver Strat.
For the third year, attendees will have the option to come early to the WQA Business Boot Camp, which will kick off March 31 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The all-day intensive business operations workshop offers attendees the opportunity to “Create the Vision,” going along with the show theme. WQA Business Boot Camp will feature speakers Candice Wentling, MWS, from Certified Action; Jeff Kortes from Human Asset Management LLC; and Doug Ramer, MWS, CWR from Martin Water Conditioning. Speakers will cover a wide range of business operation topics, including leadership, hiring and retention, training and more.The workshop also will feature roundtable discussions, encouraging attendees to both network and learn from each other.
“The goal is for all attendees to go home with several practical ideas they can implement immediately,” Ver Strat said. “...We hope dealers will take advantage of this special day to get away from their businesses in order to focus more directly on their businesses.”
The following day of the 2020 WQA Convention & Exposition will be packed with educational sessions and committee meetings. April 1 will start with Dr. Marc Edwards from Virginia Tech presenting the results of the recently completed WQRF Emerging Technologies Benchmarking Study, which is likely to be a hot topic at the show this year, Ver Strat said.
On April 2, the opening general session will highlight a keynote address from Simon T. Bailey, author of 10 books on being fearless and creating your future, and the show floor will open. The show floor will feature expanded hours this year, as well as a new section.
“We’re offering an Innovation Showcase for the first time,” Ver Strat said. “Exhibitors will be able to display a new product or innovation in a specially designated area of the exhibit floor near the Learning Lab and the Business Spotlights (which was an innovation at last year’s convention). Items in the Innovation Showcase will be labeled with company name and booth number so visitors will know which booth to visit for more information.”
Attendees can also look forward to two technical workshops held on the final day, including a Commercial/Industrial RO Sizing Workshop and an Introduction to Water Contaminants and Drinking Water Regulations MEP Workshop on top of a host of educational sessions already available at the show. Finally, attendees can round-out their trip and put their knowledge to the test by taking certification exams at the convention.
