The committee and I have been hard at work during the last several months laying the groundwork for our 2012 WWAC Symposium. This has meant countless hours of planning associated with the symposium’s business plan, budget, marketing and most importantly technical content.

We now have a confirmed date for the 2012 symposium – it will be held on August 7-9, 2012 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

These symposium dates have chosen for several reasons. The first is that it is a Tues-Wed-Thurs timeslot. This allows maximum flexibility for attendees that want to bring their families.  The mid-week timing allows families to easily attend the theme parks in the Orlando area before and after, as well as during the symposium.  In case I didn’t mention it already, Walt Disney World is right next door to the hotel we are considering!

The second reason for the August timeslot is so that it does not conflict with the major AWWA and WEF conferences.  ACE is typically held in June and WEFTEC takes place in early October. We realize that many people like to attend both shows, so we have set our schedule accordingly.

The third reason is that August is an inexpensive time of year to travel to Orlando both in terms of airline flights and hotel rooms. For those of you who work for public utilities, we know that every dollar counts. We are working to keep costs down for you!

As I write, the hotel arrangements for this year’s symposium are being finalized. I expect to be making our hotel announcement shortly.

Once we have the hotel finalized, the program committee and I will be announcing the Call for Papers for this year’s symposium.  The Call for Papers will provide 3 ways for you to present your work: there is the traditional 35 minute PowerPoint presentation, a 35-minute PowerPoint Presentation accompanied by a 8-12 page paper, and (new this year!) a large format poster. More details can be found on the upcoming Call for Papers.

The other part of the symposium that I am excited about is our upcoming 2012 Symposium website.  Spearheaded by our marketing chair Jon DiPietro, the website will be a spring board for information about the conference, the call for papers, keynote/plenary speakers, and other events associated with the symposium.  Additional website features will include interviews with key symposium partners, videos of past symposium presentations, and sample papers/presentations to make it easier for employers to see the symposium’s value

We have exciting things planned for this year’s symposium, and I look forward to sharing the details with you as the planning for this year’s event takes shape.

Yours very truly,

Graham Nasby

2012 WWAC Symposium – General Symposium Chair
Phone: (519) 763-7774 ~ Eastern Time Zone
Email: graham.nasby@eramosa.com