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will walk away feeling engaged, informed, and better connected to others in their field’.


digital platforms to engage with new and existing customers and use the live events to showcase the industry’s fabulous technology. A pattern I see working well with live events and growing the industry ongoing, hence the launch in January of Westrade Digital.”


Further to this Westrade has been inundated by suppliers wanting to exhibit at all the upcoming events, which is hugely positive and a testament to the recognised quality of the Westrade Trenchless events. Whilst live events are not currently possible the Digital platforms now offered by Westrade can provide the industry with opportunity to engage with target markets effectively and efficiently.


Looking ahead to the time when live events can once again take place, the next NDL, TA and TME events look set to be the biggest in their history in terms of companies exhibiting. Westrade’s goal now is to ensure a fabulous visitor experience. “We have been working hard establishing buyer groups from key destinations with trenchless infrastructure requirements and those who are interested in learning more about the techniques and applications. I ampleased to say this has been successful and looks likely to enhance our visitor levels and importantly quality. Our main aim is to provide the trenchless community with a platform to communicate share innovate on an ongoing basis.” concluded Paul.


OTHER EVENTS


An example of the sort of other events that are being planned is the Wessex Water and Kobus ‘Putting Customer Benefit as the Driver of Innovation’ presentation which took place on 22 October.


At Wessex Water ‘No Dig’ is the preferred option for service pipe replacement and


specifically utilises Kobus technology on many occasions. Customer demand is for minimised disconnection time and less disruption both to traffic and pedestrians. In addition the environmental and H&S benefits are major factors for utilities such as Wessex. Furthermore there are obvious financial benefits resulting from less labour time per pipe replaced as well as reduced material and equipment costs.


Wessex has learned that the best way to drive innovation and ensure uptake within the organisation is to empower the crews to make their own decisions about the appropriate technique on a site by site basis. This, coupled with a real ‘can do’ attitude at the front line is what makes Wessex so successful at adopting innovation.


Also available will be the online Smart One Water Workshop & Conference which is organised by the Sustainable Water Infrastructure Management Center (SWIM) of Virginia Tech in the USA. This free to register event has come about because according to the organiser ‘The outbreak of COVID-19, 2020 has brought unprecedented challenges to communities and industries across our nation (USA) and the globe. In this time of challenge, we as individuals, organisations, and society are truly tested in the resiliency of our social and physical systems. At the SWIM Center, our mission is more important than ever to help the water sector transform and adapt the broad spectrum of our social and physical infrastructure systems to become more intelligent, sustainable and resilient to the impacts of extreme events. Anyone interested in learning the practices and strategies for Smart One Water Management at different scales and under different business risk exposures should plan to attend. Attendees


8 drain TRADER | November 2020 | www.draintraderltd.com


In the UK other events that are being organised that include paid attendance online training courses from the likes of CIRIA. For example CIRIA is currently organising two SuDS course including virtual classrooms for Designing SuDS from 9-11 and 13 November 2020 and Designing SuDS - Wales specific (complementing Welsh Statutory standards for SuDS) on 7-8 and 10-11 December 2020.


Further to this another upcoming event that is due for presentation is the ‘Future Water Networks 2020 – Smart networks in an uncertain world’ event which will take place between 18 and 20 November 2020. The United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT) is supporting Future Water Networks 2020 as this year it goes digital! Six sessions across 3 mornings are planned which will be discussing smart networks in an uncertain world. Future Water Association and some 50+ speakers will be debating management of the water sector’s major assets. UKSTT members attending the event will be entitled to a discounted rate of £60 +VAT for access to six Networks sessions (over three days), plus a place in the audience of the innovation competition, Water Dragons.


As can be seen from the foregoing, another organisation that has utilised the current Covid-19 situation somewhat to advantage is the United Kingdom Society for Trenchless Technology (UKSTT). UKSTT has dramatically increased its adoption of digital technologies during lockdown, according to the Society’s Chair Dawn Greig.


As a result of COVID-19, UKSTT has increased the adoption of digital technologies to provide virtual support and more effective ways of engaging with members, patrons and the trenchless community.


Dawn Greig, Chair of the UKSTT, commented: “The pandemic has unwittingly provided the urgency to incorporate the digital technology that was already available and while some of these changes were gradually being integrated into our way of promoting


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