December 2012, Vol. 67 No. 12
Features
UCT 2013 Offers More – Education, Exhibits, Special Programs, Business Opportunities
Organizations exhibiting their products and services along with underground construction professionals that serve the broad range of utility construction and rehabilitation markets, are eagerly anticipating the 2013 Underground Construction Technology International Conference & Exhibition (UCT) Jan. 29-31, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston.
Advance reservations indicate the number attending in 2013 will surpass the 2012 total. In fact, hotel space was nearly sold-out at press time.
UCT is the only annual underground construction industry event that brings together utility providers, consulting engineers, manufacturers, contractors and service providers in a professional business and educational environment.
Almost 500 booths will fill Hall E at the convention center, and the show-within-a show RehabZone has 12,000 square feet of space for its unique “no selling” exhibits about rehabilitation technologies and services.
Many companies are planning introduction of new products and service, and first-time and longtime exhibitors are busy completing plans for their exhibits to make maximum impact.
“We’re looking forward to UCT — it’s an event we never miss,” said Chris Brahler, president of TT Technologies. “We have been at every UCT show from the beginning; it’s a great way to begin the new year and we are optimistic we’ll see an improved economy in 2013.”
Enhanced schedule
Exhibit hall and educational program hours for 2013 have been adjusted to allow attendees to maximize their time spent at both the educational sessions and exhibit hall:
• Tuesday, Jan. 29
Educational Sessions: 8:30 a.m. to noon
Exhibit Hall opens: 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Exhibit Hall reception: 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Wednesday Jan. 30
Educational Sessions: 8:30 a.m. to noon
Exhibit Hall opens: Noon to 4:30 p.m.
Networking Receptions: 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 31
Educational Sessions: 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Exhibit Hall open: 9 a.m. to noon (show closes)
At a noon luncheon Tuesday, Antonio V. Almeida, P.E., program manager and business development, Halff Associates, will receive the 2013 Most Valuable Professional Award. Almeida has served the water and wastewater industries for 41 years, much of that time with the Dallas Water Utilities Department. He was extremely active as a committee chairman with ASTM helping shepherd industry through a critical period when several significant issues were being debated.
UCT’s Primary Education Program will feature about 100 sessions conducted by industry professionals and will include new tutorials, engaging panel discussions, interactive presentations and detailed case histories covering the full spectrum of underground utility construction and rehabilitation. The program again includes the Damage Prevention and Safety track with sessions targeting underground damage and safety topics.
Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Professional Development Hours (PDHs) are awarded for attendance at most sessions in the primary education program in cooperation with the University of Texas at Arlington.
The RehabZone has become a vital part of UCT and will again include the popular history of pipes, tools and equipment. Visitors through the ’Zone travel a route of stations that provide information about rehabilitation technologies and services in a generic, no-selling format unique in the industry. It will be open during exhibit hall hours.
UCT’s unique place in the industry is recognized by a growing number of industry organizations that schedule pre- and post-show events and training programs in conjunction with UCT.
Special events
In 2013, those events include:
• CUIRE (Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education) will conduct engineering and inspector training schools and will be held on Sunday and Monday, Jan. 27-28;
• Structural Design for Rigid Pipes, taught by Dr. George McAlpine, Monday, Jan. 28;
• Waterworks Conference scheduled Jan. 29-30. The conference provides a forum where water professionals can meet to gain insight about how current economic conditions are affecting the water industry and exchange ideas about challenges being faced by cities across the country;
• NASSCO (National Association of Sewer Service Companies) has a variety of training programs scheduled throughout the week;
• Ethics for Engineers is a mandatory course for renewing engineering licenses in many states. The course will be offered twice, on Jan. 29 and Jan. 31;
• The NASTT (North American Society for Trenchless Technology) Pipe Bursting Good Practices Course is scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 30;
• Staking University’s Locator Certification Training Course also is scheduled Wednesday, Jan. 30; and
• Damage Investigation & Prevention Workshop will be held Monday, Jan. 28. The course is being taught by Ron Peterson, executive director of the National Utility Locating Contractors Association.
All of these courses also offer CEU and PDH credits.
UCT is sponsored by Underground Construction, Pipeline & Gas Journal and Pipeline News magazines with the support of numerous corporate, association and academic co-sponsors.
The UCT web site, www.uctonline.com, contains complete information about UCT 2013, including details about registration, travel arrangements, schedule of events, and details of educational sessions.
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