Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2010 - (Page 12) to BY MICHAEL HARRIS, NRWA Why YOU need to attend the National Conferences! CONFERENCE. DO I WANT TO GO? Actually, there shouldn’t be any question at all about whether you should go, but a fi rm commitment: “I’m GOING to the Conference!” Herein is written three diverse opinions on why YOU should go to Conference. But, to begin with, let’s get an “overview,” an “outline” and a brief history of the NRWA conferences. National Rural Water Association took the extraordinary steps, several years ago, to expand the conference opportunities for our state associations and their utility membership by agreeing to “co-locate” with the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. The process was a long, thought-provoking and exciting time. Within the discussions and planning, the H2O-XPO was born. The H2O-XPO offered a chance to combine the quality educational and networking opportunities of the NRWA Conference with new opportunities. Those new opportunities included a new set of educational sessions and access to a wider variety of vendors and displays of equipment. H2O-XPO was designed to meet the increasing needs of today’s water, wastewater and municipal operations in products, services, equipment and education. In addition to the 80-plus educational sessions, attendees were able to tour over 1,000 inside exhibits and 30 acres of outdoor equipment displays, where “hands-on” really meant digging trenches, driving bulldozers and being lifted a hundred feet into the air! At the same time, the conference provided new areas to explore and new options to consider. H2O-XPO was a success – besides offering the education and interaction that have always been a part of NRWA’s conferences, the XPO exposed hundreds of rural water systems to new companies and suppliers. Co-location also gave rural water attendees the chance to attend new educational opportunities offered by AEM as well. “The sessions are good, they’re always good,” said John Faust of Davidson Water Inc., in Welcome N.C. “The sessions are really why I come to conference.” “It was good, I liked it,” said Michael Hersman of the West Virginia Rural Water Association. “The education sessions were good. I could hardly wait to take a look at all the equipment on display.” “It was great! There was a lot see in the exhibit hall and the equipment displays,” said Dennis White of the Hidden Valley Community Services District in Hidden Valley, Cal. “Plus, the sessions are always good.” The H2O-XPO will be in Louisville, Ken. again in 2011. However, this year, the NRWA conference will be in Nashville, Tenn., at the Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. Renamed the “WaterPro Conference,” this will be a return to the more traditional conference format that the Rural Water family knows so well. WaterPro Conference is so-named in order to help water utilities gain stature among their communities and industry as a whole. Who, in rural water, is not a professional? Each of you have specific knowledge in a unique area that few others in your town or anywhere else have. You ARE the water and wastewater professionals! WaterPro will be THE place to network with friends, government agencies, suppliers, manufacturers and state association personnel. “My favorite part was getting to meet some of the other source water people,” said Krista Reger from the California Rural Water Association. “It was nice there were meetings that gave you a chance to meet people from other states.” ❍ 12 • First Quarter 2010 Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2010 Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2010 Table of Contents From the President H2O-XPO to Waterpro The Utility Perspective The State Rural Water Association Perspective The Washington DC Perspective Recent Drinking Water Quality Claims Unfounded Telling Our Story: The City of Risk Finding Art in Unexpected Places Regulatory Update Throwing My Loop Index to Advertisers Advertisers.com From the CEO Rural Water - Quarter 1, 2010 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0412 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0312 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0212 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0112 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0411 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0311 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0211 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0111 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0410 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0310 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0210 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0110 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0409 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0309 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0209 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0109 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0408 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0308 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0208 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0108 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com
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