The Water Environment Federation announced that WEFTEC 2020 in October will be a fully virtual event called WEFTEC Connect that offers attendees interactive education, an exhibitor showcase, and networking experiences. Registration for WEFTEC Connect opens July 13 with programming scheduled for October 5 through 9.
“While we will miss seeing water professionals in person in New Orleans this October, WEF is extremely excited to create a digital place for us to gather and to continue our tradition of delivering premier water education and exhibitions to the world,” said WEF President Jackie Jarrell.
WEFTEC Connect will be a unique virtual event that uses the latest online learning platform to create an immersive experience for attendees. It is being carefully shaped to be responsive to feedback gathered from water professionals on preferred education and participation options. WEFTEC Connect will include:
- A blend of live and pre-recorded technical content
- Data-driven connections between participants
- 1:1 appointment scheduling with exhibitors
- Live chats between individuals or groups
- Virtual meeting rooms for networking and product demonstrations
- Access to educational content and the exhibitor showcase for a full year
WEFTEC Connect will enable water professionals from around the world to learn and share with peers no matter their location and provide hundreds of hours of live and recorded content that may be used to fulfill educational requirements related to licensing.
According to the announcement: The cancellation of the October meeting in New Orleans was necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic that has made it inadvisable to hold the traditional WEFTEC in-person meeting. Currently, existing governmental orders at both the state and local level restricting the congregation of groups and other social distancing regulations, together with travel restrictions that will prevent a large number of attendees from attending this meeting, have forced us to make this difficult decision. We do look forward to having WEFTEC return to New Orleans in 2022.
“Our top priority is always the health and safety of everyone at WEF events,” said WEF Executive Director Walt Marlowe. “We look forward to seeing the water community online at WEFTEC Connect in October. And we will be ready to welcome you in person next year at WEFTEC 2021 in Chicago.”
