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WESTERVILLE, OH — The National Ground Water Association (NGWA) concluded Groundwater Week 2020 on Friday, December 11. Groundwater Week 2020 was NGWA’s first all-virtual annual trade show.
Hosted annually by NGWA, Groundwater Week is the industry’s premier trade show and conference designed to provide educational and networking experiences to groundwater professionals.
While traditionally held in-person and attracting thousands of attendees, restrictions on gatherings, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, led to the decision to move to a virtual format.
“While the format was different this year, the event still provided many of the great experiences our industry expects from Groundwater Week,” said NGWA CEO Terry S. Morse, CAE, CIC. “I’m extremely proud of what we were able to accomplish and look forward to getting started on planning our in-person event next year in Nashville.”
Groundwater Week 2020 was attended by over 2,500 groundwater professionals from 59 countries across the globe and offered four days of educational sessions, product demos, and opportunities to visit the virtual exhibit hall. The show also featured Keynote Speaker Kevin McGinnis’ speech, “Establishing Social Distancing Between Contamination and Drinking Water Systems,” and the 2020 NGWA Industry Awards Ceremony.
There were nine hours of exhibit time over three days for attendees to interact with the 76 exhibitors — including three first-time exhibitors (Texas Pipe Works Inc., Ketos Inc., and HydroMetrics Inc.). Attendees watched product demonstrations in the exhibitor’s virtual booths and had the option to talk directly with the exhibitor in a private virtual meeting.
NGWA randomly awarded $500 in prize money ($2000 total) to two attendees who visited exhibitors in the virtual exhibit hall during each of the two days in the middle of Groundwater Week 2020.
In addition, attendees earned points and won prizes throughout Groundwater Week 2020 when performing certain actions during the live show — such as visiting an exhibitor, scheduling a meeting, adding their profile photo, and other items. Attendees tracked their score and watched the leaderboard to see how many points they needed to be entered into several drawings on the Groundwater Week virtual platform.
Goulds Water Technology hosted several online product sessions and digital training workshops as part of the NGWA event, providing CEUs and valuable insights ranging from support in managing a small business to in-depth product tutorials and troubleshooting. The virtual events (listed below) are now available on-demand at goulds.com/ngwa.
Product Sessions
- Monitoring Well Systems with the AqWiFi Remote Monitoring Device – Learn about the benefits the AqWiFi Remote Monitoring Device can provide to both you and your customers.
- Extraordinary Times Call for Extraordinary Partnerships – Learn more about Xylem Watermark program and how we are making a difference in local communities.
Training Workshops
- Proper Pump Selection Maximizes Operation and Maintenance Costs – Efficient operation of an ASR well requires an understanding of proper pump selection in order to maximize hydraulic efficiency.
- Showcasing Your Business Online – A guide to creating a Google business listing and Facebook page.
- Motor Mysteries Solved – Learn about all things practical with both submersible and surface motors, including nameplate data, installation, grounding, cooling, surge protection, troubleshooting and more.
Franklin Electric, the Diamond Sponsor of Groundwater Week 2020, donated $50 to NGWA for every nonexhibiting attendee who visited their virtual exhibit booth during Groundwater Week and raised $25,000 in total donations. Other donors included Xylem ($10,000) and Grundfos ($20,000).
“This year's Groundwater Week was unchartered territory, but everything went very well! From educational sessions to private meetings, we were able to connect with professionals in the industry and have meaningful conversations,” said Franklin Electric Director of Sales Travis Bradley. “While we missed seeing everyone in person, we were able to connect with some attendees who had not participated in prior years due to the required travel.”
Groundwater Week 2021 will return to an in-person event December 14-16 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Groundwater Week 2020 sponsors included Franklin Electric; Baker Water Systems Division; Goulds Water Technology, a Xylem brand; Grundfos; and Shakti Pumps USA.