From conferences and networking opportunities, to site tours, technical committee meetings, product showcases and more, WASTECON 2016 fired up attendees and helped set the industry toward the fast lane to the future.
WASTECON® 2016 was a great success this year! Held at the Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indianapolis, IN, attendees were treated to four days of informational sessions, interactive tours and networking opportunities that brought everyone together both on the show floor, classrooms and fantastic venues.
Monday’s Hours Kick off Networking with Welcome Reception
WASTECON® 2016 opened on the night of August 22 to excited crowds who waited anxiously for the ribbon to be cut on the exhibit hall. The opening speech by SWANA’s CEO, David Biderman, focused on welcoming attendees to this year’s event as well as discussing SWANA’s successes and called out how proud they were to be hosting not only WASTECON next year but ISWA’s conference to be held in conjunction during the last week of September 2017. After the hall was opened, attendees and exhibitors mingled and talked business while enjoying the spread of appetizers and sliders available around the show floor.
Tuesday Starts with SWANA Breakfast and Awards Ceremony
WASTECON® continued on Tuesday, kicking off with the SWANA breakfast early in the morning, where the 2017 SWANA officers were introduced, the international board reports were shared and awards were given including the President’s Award, Dedicated Service Awards and the collection of Excellence Awards, highlighting programs and facilities that have worked to protect the environment and public health. Among some of the categories were Communication, Education, and Marketing, Waste-to-Energy, Collection and Transfer, Planning and Management, Landfill Gas and Biogas, and more. Chapter Awards, SWANA Faculty Awards and even Professional Achievement Awards were given as well as the Life Member Award to Dwayne Woolley, General Manager of Trans-Jordan Cities (Retired) and Trans-Jordan Landfill in South Jordan, UT, who dedicated his life to improving solid waste issues in Utah. Opening at 10 a.m. after the awards breakfast, the exhibitors on the show floor continued to host attendees with a glimpse of their technology and services they offered to make the waste and recycling industry better, faster and more efficient, while the Pit Stop offered a variety of product showcases, workshops and information sessions to those who were interested in learning more about SWANA programs and specific technologies available today. The last few hours of the day presented various conference sessions on a mix of topics that included everything from Food Waste Management (Mega-Session) and waste diversion strategies to landfill regulations and educating community stakeholders.
Wednesday Tornado Warning and Speedway Brings Unique Networking Opportunities
On Wednesday, conferences continued in the morning and the exhibits wrapped up with a little excitement. Towards the end of the show hours, a tornado warning was issued and everyone in the building was ushered downstairs into the basement of the convention center to wait out the storm and many people took advantage of the situtation to continue networking with those who were down there. While the tornado did not touch down in the city, a few neighborhoods did get some significant damage inflicted on their property. Luckily, there was no injuries, however, for those affected by the storm, you are in our prayers.
The Wednesday night Networking Party, hosted by the Hoosier Chapter of SWANA, was held at the fabulous Indianapolis Motor Speedway and offered attendees a chance to take a ride around the track at 120 miles per hour, taking heart-pounding curves that hugged the wall. It was quite a thrill and one of the best parts of the event. In addition, the party provided seven floors of networking opportunities. Every level was sponsored by a specific company or group of companies and their technologies. Starting from the top down, we saw CNG offerings, case studies, landfill equipment highlights, and more while enjoying food and drink on every level. On the 5th and 6th floor, attendees were able to sit in the “premium” seats that overlooked the stadium’s racetrack, a great view and experience. Hoosier SWANA did an outstanding job of providing a unique experience to all that were able to attend.
Great Sessions Wrap-Up
WASTECON® 2016
The final day of the show wrapped up with conferences on Thursday morning, August 25, and covered a range of topics that appealed to all attendees, including safety, municipal organic programs, measuring success, methods to capturing different types of landfill gas and more. The meeting rooms were still packed with people who wanted to learn more about a particular subject or to earn additional CEU credits. The day wrapped with a mega-session on Global Waste Trends and Challenges, a panel discussion that included speakers from the UK, Brazil and Argentina as well as SWANA’s own David Biderman. It was an intense and interesting conversation as the panelists discussed waste management from a European perspective and how it compared with the U.S. It was a preview of what is to come in Baltimore next September at the WASTECON/ISWA show; it will be a great event. Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Waste Advantage Magazine booth to chat. We always appreciate your input. We’ll see you again at Baltimore in September next year!
For more information on WASTECON® 2017, visit https://swana.org.