The event saw 1,200 visitors attend the show over three days.
The event officially began with an Oktoberfest-styled Exhibition Opening, sponsored by Austrian company HOBAS, where delegates enjoyed the chance to network at a “÷beer and bratwurst’ themed evening. The event gave delegates an opportunity to see the 76 booths on display in the hall before the doors opened to the public the following morning. View the photo gallery for the exhibition hall here.
Day one
The conference kicked off with a welcome from ASTT Chairman Steve Apeldoorn, who highlighted some of the recent initiatives launched by the Society, such as new industry training courses, Special Interest Groups for members, and additional regional networking events.
Richard Petterson, Executive Leader Operations and Service Delivery at Queensland Urban Utilities, delivered the opening Keynote address. Mr Petterson put into context the importance of trenchless technologies in delivering vital services that allow Australian’s to live the first-world lives in which they have become accustomed to. The December edition of Trenchless Australasia will include a feature on Mr Petterson’s presentation. Subscribe now to make sure you receive the next edition.
Following the keynote, delegates listened to sessions on micrtounnelling, pressure main rehab, construction, rehabilitation, and case studies.
UQ comes to No-Dig
New to the conference in 2015, the ASTT partnered with the University of Queensland in order to bring some of the university’s brightest engineering students to the show.
Speaking on the initiative, ASTT President Steve Apeldoorn said “Tomorrow’s engineers will play a significant part in the future of Trenchless Technology.
“This partnership provides an opportunity to get these talented individuals to learn about Trenchless Technology, and hopefully inspire their future involvement in our industry. We extend a warm welcome to these Queensland students and we hope that we can offer similar partnerships, with other universities, at our future conferences.”
A Hawaiian affair
On Wednesday night, delegates gathered for a boat cruise through the Gold Coast Canals to a secret island destination. The event, sponsored by Vermeer, allowed delegates to network while being treated to a full Hawaiian BBQ buffet.
Day two
The second day of the conference featured an opening session with two very popular Keynotes. The first Keynote was delivered by Andy Lukas of AJ Lucas, who spoke on very long crossings with HDD – including how to engineer them and their practical limitations. It was a very inspiring presentation showcasing some amazing technical feats in the trenchless industry, and the barriers that are able to be overcome with advances in technology.
The second presenter was North American Society for Trenchless Technology (NASTT) Chair Kim Staheli. Ms Staheli spoke on the industry differences between Australia and North America, and what future opportunities could be opened up with international industry collaboration. She highlighted the ASTT-NASTT In-Depth Training Courses initiative as an example of great international collaboration.
Day two session topics included design and training, investigation and assessment, horizontal directional drilling, and pipe solutions.
Gala Dinner & Awards Evening
On Thursday evening, delegates gathered for the Ditch Witch sponsored ASTT Gala Dinner, where they enjoyed a sumptuous three course meal and were treated to entertainment by comedian and sleight of hand expert Jay Jay.
During the Gala Dinner the ASTT Award winners for 2015 were also announced. To read more about who took home the top industry honours, click here.
Day three
A special breakfast Keynote session opened the last day of No-Dig Down Under, in which three speakers from the nbn presented about the trenchless aspect of the rollout. Paul Clyne spoke about industry development and accreditation within the NBN. Paul Salter gave an introduction to the NBN rollout and the contract model the organisation uses. And Peter Gerring spoke about the importance of safe directional drill practises when installing fibre to avoid disaster.
The last day of the conference included sessions on micrtounnelling, pipe jacking and rehabilitation.
Missed attending the technical proceedings? The conference technical papers are available for purchase here.
Steve Apeldoorn closed the event on Wednesday afternoon and announced that best booth went to National Environmental Equipment Pty Ltd.
Generously supported by Event Partners Vermeer, HOBAS, Ditch Witch, Gold sponsor Humes and Silver Sponsor Interflow, the event was a huge success for all involved. The next No-Dig Down Under Event will be held in 2017 – stay tuned in to the Trenchless Australasia enewsletter to keep across dates, location and event development.