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Biennial conference lauded for attendance, exhibits, education
The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) organized and hosted the Geosynthetics 2013 conference and trade show April 1-4, 2013, in Long Beach Calif.
An April 15 IFAI press release noted that this biennial event—titled “Geosynthetics for Water and Energy Challenges”—brought together many of the world’s leading geotechnical professionals who came to explore, learn, and share developments in geosynthetic engineering, products, applications, and technologies.
The conference attracted more than 1,200 attendees and more than 120 exhibitors, the most ever for this conference, and it occupied the largest trade showfloor to date.
The release said that also co-locating at this event were two “conferences within a conference”—the Geosynthetic Research Institute’s 25th anniversary conference and the 2013 Southwest Geotechnical Engineers Conference.
Geosynthetics 2013 included several educational components, with a breadth of technical sessions and five full-day short courses offering participants personal development hours (PDHs).
Also included in the conference were plenary sessions and technical topics covering geosynthetics for energy and water issues. The plenary sessions were presented by: Jerry Yudelson (“The coming water crisis”), Mark Smith (“Emerging issues in mining containment”), and a panel discussion with Bob Koerner, Carla Suszkowski, and Don Siegel (“Energy/shale gas fracking”).
The press release noted that a special event at Geosynthetics 2013—the Innovation Theater—attracted attendees to a forum where exhibitors gave informational presentations on their newest products and services, including topics from quality assurance solutions to geofoam usage.
“This was our best geosynthetics event yet,” said Deb Stender, director of events and education at IFAI. “We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout, with more than 1,200 attendees and more than 120 exhibitors. I can’t wait for Portland in 2015.”
Geosynthetics 2015 will take place Feb. 15-18, 2015 in Portland, Ore., and will be co-locating with the International Erosion Control Association (IECA).
Geosynthetics 2013 was organized by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) and the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), supported by the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS), and conducted under the auspices of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS).