This was the first International No-Dig with a regional target audience and clearly proved popular with the 98 exhibitors and sponsors who occupied 2255 sq m of exhibition space over the 3 day event. The event was strongly supported by a number of Italian municipal and utility organisations. 430 guests at the Opening Ceremony heard keynote speakers and politicians urging the government to enforce more control over open-cut work in towns and cities and the Director General of Public Works at the Ministry for Infrastructure responded with an announcement that changes in the regulations for contracting public works would be made within the next 2 months and would in future allow for additional costs where the environmental impact of trenching was unacceptable. 1646 visitors joined the delegates to bring the total foot fall for the event to over 2000.
The event also hosted a special delegation from a group of senior decision makers from Turkey, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon and Jordan, all of whom share concerns over drinking water and sewerage treatment matters involving the Mediterranean Sea. The group were invited under the auspices of ICE, the Italian Institute of Commerce and were given a special full day presentation on trenchless techniques and their cost and environmental benefits.
Dr Dec Downey (United Kingdom) was elected Chairman ISTT to succeed Menno Henneveld, Commissioner for Roads, Western Australia. Dr Sam Ariaratnam (USA) was elected Vice Chairman. Derek Choi (Hong Kong) was re-elected, and Karel Franczyk (Czech Republic), Olga Martynyuk (Ukraine) and Norman Howell (United Kingdom) were elected to serve on the Executive sub committee, which oversees the day to day activities of the Society.
A new development for the international No-Dig, ROMA07, as it became known to the delegates and exhibitors, with the theme “For a Sustainable World” proved that a combination of regional themes and reports of worldwide advances in trenchless technology are an attractive and effective way of presenting the questions and answers for trenchless techniques to a culturally similar regional audience as it allows more people to attend.
In 2008 the International No-Dig will head west to Moscow 3-6 June 2008, targeting the Russian Federation and CIS countries.