In 2019, No-Dig Down Under will once again feature training courses presented by international experts, a world class conference program – including an additional stream dedicated to utility location – and the largest trade exhibition in the event’s almost 20-year history.
No-Dig Down Under kicks off on Tuesday 10 September and concludes on Friday 13 September. The event is made possible by the generous support of Platinum Sponsor National Environmental Equipment; Gold Sponsor Vermeer; Silver Sponsors KRE Engineering, Pezzimenti Trenchless and Vivax Metrotech; and Bronze Sponsors Interflow and Smart Lock.
No-Dig Down Under 2019 is proud to raise funds and awareness for the event’s Charity Partner WaterAid.
Attendee profile
A survey conducted of the more than 1,200 attendees at No-Dig Down Under 2017, concluded that more than 73 per cent attended specifically to network and see new products and services. Almost 90 per cent of attendees had the authority or influence to purchase for their company, while 75 per cent intended to make a purchase at the event or in the near future.
According to the results of the survey, more than 86 per cent of exhibitors gained a number of business leads from the event.
Training courses
Proceedings will kick off on Monday with the presentation of three, one-day training courses on trenchless topics, presented by experts in their respective fields.
Exhibition
At the conclusion of the day’s training, the attendees of the courses, in addition to conference delegates and exhibitors, will gather for the opening of No-Dig Down Under’s exhibition hall, sponsored by Vermeer. Covering 6,000 m3 – the largest in the event’s history – the trade exhibition will feature leaders in trenchless technology from Australasia and around the world.
Among the products and machinery on display will be non-destructive digging trucks, including vacuum and hydro excavators, horizontal directional drilling (HDD) rigs, microtunnel boring machines, relining equipment and more. Throughout the course of the event, morning, afternoon tea and lunch breaks will be served in the hall, giving conference delegates an opportunity to explore the exhibition hall and network with exhibitors.
Conference
The morning after the opening of the exhibition, the three-stream conference program will get started. The three streams will be combined on the first morning for the event’s plenary session.
The opening session will be headlined by a keynote presentation from Ian Moore, Executive Director of the Geotechnical Engineering Centre at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. Dr Moore, who is originally from Australia, is a civil engineer specialising in engineering mechanics, non-linear soil-structure interaction, and the non-linear mechanics of shell structures like pipes interacting with solids such as soil, employing both computational and experimental methods.
His work includes research on stability limit states for long-span flexible culverts, buried pipes, maintenance holes and buried tanks. Dr Moore’s recent research includes the continued development of design methods for thermoplastic, metal and concrete culverts, assessment of strength of corroded metal pipes, behaviour of liners used to repair gravity flow and pressure pipelines, soil-pipe interaction during pipe bursting and HDD, behaviour and design of pipe joints and of continuous and jointed pipelines when subjected to differential ground movements.
The plenary will conclude with a panel session, featuring Dr Moore, exploring the challenges with using trenchless technology to build over and around existing infrastructure. After this, the conference will break into three streams – installation, rehabilitation and utility location – until it concludes on Thursday afternoon.
The program has been collated from more than 100 technical papers, submitted from all over the world. More than 40 per cent of the papers will be presented by utilities, which is representative of the overall quality of the conference program.
New stream
The dedicated utility location stream is a new addition to No-Dig Down Under for 2019. The stream is being produced as part of a partnership between the event and the National Utility Locating Contractors Association (NULCA), which represents professional underground utility locating industry in Australia.
Speaking on the agreement, NULCA President Ian Lambert says, “This year NULCA has decided to formally partner with Great Southern Press and ASTT to produce a specialised two-day utility location and damage prevention conference stream that will be held as part of the larger No-Dig Down Under conference program.
“We are delighted to be working together and believe this will be a highly valuable event for NULCA members and utility location professionals to attend.”
Social functions
In addition to the exhibition opening, No-Dig Down Under offers unparalleled networking opportunities for trenchless professionals. Taking place at the conclusion of the first day of the conference and exhibition will be the official Networking Reception, sponsored by Vermeer.
The function will take place on the banks of the Yarra River, only a few hundred metres from where No-Dig Down Under is taking place. The reception will feature some of the food Melbourne is famous for, in addition to drinks and entertainment.
The following night, at the conclusion of the conference, the prestigious ASTT Gala Dinner and Awards Evening, sponsored by NATEE, will take place. The formal dinner will feature, networking opportunities, as well as a three-course meal, drinks and activities.
The evening will be highlighted by the presentation of the ASTT Awards. The biennial awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of the Australasian trenchless industry.
Nominations for the awards are open until 1 July 2019.
Early bird savings
Attendees that register for No-Dig Down Under before 12 July 2019 will take advantage of a discount of more than 15 per cent on the price of full conference registration. Conference, speaker and one-day registrations include access to catering as well as social functions.
Entry to No-Dig Down Under 2019’s exhibition hall is free; however, registration does not include catering or access to any of the social functions.
Add ons
A number of additional options are available during the registration process, including access to the ASTT Training Courses. Access to the social functions, including the ASTT Gala Dinner and Awards Evening, can also be added separately.
Unparalleled access
There are limited opportunities still available to be sponsor or exhibit at No-Dig Down Under 2019, giving companies unparalleled access to decision makers in the trenchless industry, positioning brands in front of installation and rehabilitation contractors with real purchasing power, as well as key decision makers and project specifiers from councils and major water, telecommunications and energy utilities.
To secure one of the last sponsorships or exhibition spaces, contact Great Southern Press Sales Manager David Marsh on +61 3 9248 5122 or at dmarsh@gs-press.com.au
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This article was featured in the June edition of Trenchless Australasia. To view the magazine on your PC, Mac, tablet, or mobile device, click here.
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