WEFTEC, the Water Environment Federation’s (WEF) Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference (TEC), is the largest conference of its kind in North America. The 92nd annual event seeks to provide global water quality professionals with high-level education and training.

Recognized as the largest annual water quality exhibition in the world, the expansive show floor offers access to the most cutting-edge technologies in the field. The exhibition serves as a forum for domestic and international business opportunities, while also giving peer-to-peer networking opportunities for registrants.

With a “ReGeneration: Workforce” theme, WEFTEC 2019 will be held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, from Saturday, September 21, to Wednesday, September 25. Since 1928, WEF has operated as a nonprofit technical and educational organization of 35,000 individual members and 75 affiliated member associations, which represent water quality professionals around the world.

Expansive Show Floor

WEFTEC hosts more than 20,000 registrants from around the world and in all sectors of water quality, according to event organizers. With more than 1,000 exhibiting companies, WEFTEC exhibitors bring their very best technical experts and the latest equipment.

The event offers a gateway into global water, wastewater, and resource recovery, with targeted events and sessions designed to help attendees better connect with others seeking ideas and solutions in their particular subject areas. WEFTEC is the only water show selected as part of the U.S. Commercial Service International Buyer Program.

Exhibitors of relevance to coatings contractors may include Induron Coatings Inc. (booth #2560); Nukote Coating Systems International (#243); PPG Protective & Marine Coatings (#6743); Carboline (#4305); Raven Lining Systems (#1841); ClockSpring|NRI (#6020); Denso (#3664); Sauereisen, Inc. (#1922); Sherwin-Williams Co. (#4060); Sika USA, Inc. (#5614); Sprayroq, Inc. (#531); Sunbelt Rentals (#1058); Tnemec Co., Inc. (#848); Tonka Water/U.S. Water (#5041); Veolia Water Technologies (#3631)

The complete exhibitor list is available at the WEFTEC 2019 website.

Educational Sessions

According to event organizers, abstract submittals from water quality experts are the basis for a world-class technical program of technical sessions and workshops. The education program aims to address a comprehensive list of contemporary water and wastewater issues.

WEFTEC 2019 is made up of technical programming and events that can be broken down by different themes, topics, and audiences. The program is formed using a matrix of focus areas and topics, so things may appear in more than one area. The 2019 conference features a special focus on four themes, labeled One Water; Resilience; Water Energy Food Nexus; and Workforce.

The conference’s opening general session, which begins Monday at 8:30 a.m., is headlined by a keynote presentation from Dr. Lera Boroditsky, an associate professor of cognitive gcience at the University of California San Diego and the editor-in-chief of Frontiers in Cultural Psychology.

According to WEFTEC officials, Boroditsky will bring a unique perspective to the topics of workforce development, diversity, and inclusion by sharing her research into how differences in language can shape the way we think, perceive, and respond to each other. By learning to recognize and overcome potential biases, communication nuances, and preconceptions, she believes water professionals can improve how they work together, mentor each other, and recruit new talent into the water sector.

Other specific events of note could include an “Operations Challenge” at 10:00 a.m. local time on Monday and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday for wastewater collection and treatment operators; a “Women in Water” reception at 5:15 p.m. Monday; a “Students and Young Professionals Networking and Career Fair” at 1:00 p.m. Monday; and receptions at the Stormwater Pavilion and Innovation Pavilion at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

The complete WEFTEC 2019 agenda is available at the conference website.

For more information, contact: WEF, (877) 933-4734, www.weftec.org