Want some good reasons to plan on attending the 2016 Onsite Wastewater Mega-Conference, October 26-28, at the Nugget Casino Resort in Reno, Nevada?

The Mega-Conference is your conference. It is the only national conference that focuses exclusively on bringing together all segments of the onsite wastewater business — installers, service providers, pumpers, manufacturers, regulators, engineers, scientists and researchers. It has been planned by people like you who work in our industry to meet your needs, and the volunteers who will help run the conference when you arrive in Reno are all your fellow industry professionals. It offers outstanding educational opportunities for practitioners to satisfy continuing education requirements and grow professionally. Plus, business owners in our industry can expect to come away from the meeting with lots of ideas and techniques to help them be more successful.

The conference is hosted by NOWRA and NAWT, with six state onsite associations serving as co-hosts: Arizona Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association, California Onsite Water Association, Colorado Professionals in Onsite Wastewater, Florida Onsite Wastewater Association, Professional Onsite Wastewater Reuse Association of New Mexico and Utah Onsite Wastewater Association.

Industry practitioners such as installers, service providers, regulators, engineers and designers will find this conference beneficial in a variety of ways:

• Satisfy continuing education requirements. Nearly 60 sessions are available, with tracks for installers, NAWT O&M training, running an onsite industry business, and even select equipment training sessions with industry manufacturers. We are set up to document and verify your attendance at sessions you attend for CEU credits.
• Get a 30,000-foot view on industry trends that affect everyone, such as the growing movement for decentralized water reuse in urban settings, the industry’s efforts to lobby Congress and federal agencies for greater financial support, EPA’s role in onsite/decentralized wastewater treatment, and addressing the need to attract and train the next generation of industry professionals.
• Interact with professionals from around the country. Good ideas don’t just come in classroom settings. Conversations with colleagues at lunches, receptions and other social events, and even in the hallway during session breaks help you make new contacts, gain new ideas, and better understand the perspectives of folks who work in related fields.
• Learn about new products, services and programs. Dozens of the country’s leading onsite wastewater equipment manufacturers will be on hand in the Mega-Conference Expo to introduce you to new products or help you better utilize the ones you already have.
• Relax and recharge. The conference offers a great opportunity to mix business with pleasure. On October 26 we are hosting a sporting clays tournament right before the conference opens, and a reception at Reno’s famous National Automobile Museum on the evening of October 27. In addition, the NOWRA National Backhoe Roe-D-Hoe competition will take place on the Mega-Conference Expo floor and a new national champion will be crowned. Think you’re good enough to win? For just a $5 entry fee you can sign up to prove it. Cash prizes are awarded to the top Roe-D-Hoe finishers. Plus, the Nugget Casino Resort and the surrounding Reno/Lake Tahoe area offer both indoor and outdoor recreation and entertainment options.

Businesses will also find this conference useful.

• Get insights on running your business better. If you own an onsite business, you have to deal with lots of issues unique to our industry. The sessions in the Business Owners track were developed by a panel of business owners in our industry. Their goal was to come up with sessions to help you find answers to many of the business challenges that keep you up at night.
• Train your employees. This is a great place to train both new and experienced employees. Installers will learn about best practices for both precast concrete and plastic tanks. Pumpers and service providers taking the NAWT Operation and Maintenance training track will participate in one of the best known and most respected training programs in the country. A number of industry vendors are also holding training sessions on their specific products for their customers and prospective customers. Plus, visiting the Expo is an excellent way to learn more about the range of products available in the industry and how they work.
• Gain a competitive advantage. While attending a state or local conference or training event is extremely useful and beneficial, it’s more difficult to get a meaningful edge on your competitors because chances are good they are at the same event learning the same information you are. At a national conference, you’ll have access to fresh ideas and practices from colleagues around the country — giving you information and insights that your competitors don’t have.

The 2016 Onsite Wastewater Mega-Conference has it all — great education, outstanding opportunities to network with people from around the country, and fun social events, all at a very affordable price (including the hotel rate). And if you think it’s just another expense, you’re missing the point. It’s really an investment in your business and yourself. If you get just one solid idea that makes you a better professional or helps your business grow, you will agree that it was time and money well spent.

If you would like to learn more about this conference, visit www.nowra.org/2016mega for a full agenda, session descriptions, registration and hotel information and much more. We look forward to seeing you in Reno.