Creating connections and transforming tomorrow at WEFTEC 2023
WEFTEC 2023, the leading trade show on clean water in the USA, closed its doors on 4 October. We look back on a vibrant show with three days filled with networking, pitch presentations and fruitful discussions. Thousands of attendees, mainly from North America, visited the event and we were happy to welcome them at the striking, orange coloured Netherlands Pavilion.
At Weftec, we seized the chance to engage in discussions with numerous customers, both existing and potential ones. We presented the compelling sustainability benefits of Nedap UV driver technology and introduced our new Nedap Monitoring app, designed for service diagnostic purposes," says Tonnie Telgenhof Oude Koehorst of Nedap UV Products.
The Dutch presence can be summarised as follows:
- 33 delegation members
- 12 Dutch companies
- 11 pitch presentations
- 2 networking events
- 1 Netherlands Pavilion
- 1 group dinner
- And 1 site visit to Lagunitas brewery
- All taking place in beautiful Chicago!
Networking galore
Dutch companies showcased their latest innovative technologies and solutions to helping solve global and/or US related water challenges in pitch presentations. As the Netherlands is renowned for its water inventiveness, the pitches shared unique first-hand experiences to pressing issues and their solutions.
The networking reception, made possible by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the USA and the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Chicago, was well attended by more than 50 guests. Existing business relations were reinforced and new connections were made. Afterwards, the delegation members exchanged experiences on doing business in the US over a group dinner with traditional Chicago style deep dish pizza.
Lively conversations continued the next day at the network lunch at the Netherlands Pavilion, jointly hosted with a cluster of partners from Denmark and France, and supported by the Water4All partnership.
On the last day, the Dutch delegation visited the Lagunitas Brewery, part of the Heineken group. The delegation took part in an informative programme and learned about the brewery’s water strategy in crafting IPA beers and soft drinks.
According to Barbara Berson of UVOX Redox, “we were present on the Dutch Pavilion to launch the patented UVOX Redox technology for sustainable water treatment in the USA. For this purpose the Dutch Pavilion was the perfect platform. The layout of the booth and the well-organized events led to a substantial amount of leads. UVOX Redox was therefore very pleased to be a beneficiaries of the event.”
Dutch state-of-the-art water technology
The Netherlands Pavilion featured 11 companies showcasing the following latest developments.
- Inline inspection technology for pressurised water and wastewater pipelines.
- Tubular membranes for the filtration and separation of industrial process streams and wastewater.
- Cutting edge technologies to monitor and control algal blooms.
- Production and installation of covering systems for the international biogas market.
- Highly efficient UV systems.
- Integrated solutions for biological industrial wastewater treatment.
- Hollow fibre ultrafiltration modules and plug-and-play systems for small to medium-sized ultrafiltration solutions.
- Real-time actionable insights to optimise the performance and energy efficiency of AC motors and rotating equipment.
- Advanced UV oxidation.
- Smart water management solutions, water reuse systems, plastic pipes and fittings for plumbing, waste and sewer systems, roof drainage, stormwater management, and underfloor heating.
“The Paques team really liked the eye-catching, lively exhibit that the NWP/Water Alliance delivered," adds Martin Tielbaard of Paques Environmental Technologies. "We believe it caught people’s attention and helped to get traffic to us. We were busy attending people most of the time, because of previously arranged meetings, existing contacts that looked us up and people that were new to Paques and wanted to know more. All in all we were very pleased with the entire arrangement including events at the exhibit and appreciate the effort that the NWP and Water Alliance have put into this!”
If you missed the Netherlands Pavilion at WEFTEC, or would like to re-connect after the event, the profiles and contact details of the Dutch companies are available here.
Looking forward to continuing the conversation
All in all, the Netherlands Pavilion participants look back on a busy week leading to countless new business opportunities. And as many of them have already indicated their desire to return to the Netherlands Pavilion at WEFTEC in 2024.
The Netherlands Pavilion was organised by the Netherlands Water Partnership (NWP) and Water Alliance, in close collaboration with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the USA and the Dutch Consulate General in Chicago. It was supported by the WTEX10 Programme, which is an initiative of the Dutch Government, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Change, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and Top Sector Water & Maritime in cooperation with Water Alliance and NWP.
