Kick off AIWW/Aquatech: A full week for water changemakers
On Monday 1 November the 6th edition of the Amsterdam International Water Week kicks off with the opening session of the online AIWW-Conference and the start of the Aquatech Innovation Forum that focuses on bringing water innovations to scale.
The whole week offers a full online and live programme that wants to inspire water professionals to be innovative and make a change.
Inspiring programme
‘In the middle of the pandemic and climate change effecting billions of people, many leaders realise that there is no green future without integrating water into today’s and tomorrow’s solutions’, remarks Menno Holterman, chairman of the Amsterdam International Water Week.
Holterman looks at the positive developments that happened since the previous edition of the AIWW in 2019. ‘This edition will focus on scaling-up our investments for solutions that have impact and deliver the required change’. He calls upon water professionals to take responsibility. ‘Let’s us be inspired by shortage of water nutrients and raw materials, and come up with a whole range of game changing innovations’, he challenges the AIWW-participants.
He is delighted that AIWW2021 offers water professionals the opportunity to meet again live in Amsterdam. The programme includes many sessions to inspire those who pursue these changes.
World-wide participation
For those who are not able to come to Amsterdam there is the online edition of the AIWW-conference on 1 and 2 November.
Topics of the sessions include water reuse, removal micropollutants, waste water recovery, smart tools, climate resilience, landscape solution and nature-based solutions. Speakers include Dutch Minister Barbara Visser on Infrastructure and Water Management, Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb of Rotterdam, Director General for Quality of Life Veronica Manfredi of the European Commission and Dutch special water envoy Henk Ovink.
Online participation is free of charge but requires registration.
Live participation
For those who come to Amsterdam, the AIWW2021 offers a wide range of live events. Starting on Monday 1 November with the Aquatech Innovation Platform, a full-day conference dedicated not just to the market innovations, but also to the innovators who make it happen.
From 2 till 5 November there is the Aquatech Amsterdam trade fair with over 500 exhibitors showing the latest products and services.
From 3 till 5 November the live part of the AIWW-conference will take place. This will include the Integrated Leadership Forum where invited leaders of cities, utilities and industry will have the opportunity to align their agenda’s on tackling the water issues and forge new coalitions that allow the scale up and finance of solutions that are needed.
Special events
And not the least are the always spectacular Pipe Fitting Championships with teams from water utilities from all over the world competing for the best time to connect an pressured pipe to a meter and to a tap.
Also during this week is Wetskills Amsterdam with an international team of students and young water professionals that have to think out-of-the box and come up with realistic solutions for real life water cases. The challenge started on 24 October and the finals, highlighting the best solution, takes place on 4 November.
And we saved the best for last. Always very exciting are the finals of the Sarphati Sanitation Challenge for entrepreneurs that developed a promising market-based sanitation solution. The remaining five nominees will pitch their solutions on 2 November and afterwards, during the closing ceremony of the online AIWW-Conference, the winner will be announced.
