External Events

Every year, the European circular economy community from businesses, public authorities, NGOs to knowledge communities and civil society organisations gathers here to discuss the transition to a circular economy. It is the flagship event of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, a joint initiative of the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
Due to the current health crisis situation in Belgium, the 2020 edition of the Conference will be online.

Water is entering the new decade with everything to play for. Public awareness of the challenges ahead is greater than ever before. Climate change is bringing exciting new responsibilities. Technology is promising real productivity gains. Investment is buoyant. But making the most of this future is not going to be easy. So much in the world is changing.

This year’s Global Water Summit sets out to question our assumptions about where the world is moving. How long can banks lend money at negative interest rates? What happens as we approach the peak of global population? How would we do things differently if energy costs were forever low? What if the circular economy and nature-based solutions become orthodox? How does the end of Moore’s law change the model for growth?

The growth of every organisation in the water sector depends on understanding where our assumptions are wrong. However it is not just about asking big questions. It is also about connecting the big picture with what is happening on the ground, and tracing out the implications for strategy and tactics. More importantly it is also about connecting with the other key decision makers from across the global water industry, sharing their insights and inspiration.

With the right foundations, this could be a winning decade for water. Join us in Madrid to be part of that future.

Developing Resilient Water Systems for a Sustainable Future

TheWorld Water-Tech Innovation Summit is where water utility leaders, start-ups, technology giants, engineers and investors from all over the globe came to find solutions to today’s challenges of digitisation, security, energy recovery and new water resources.

Held in central London on February 23-24, 2021, this is the place to meet start-ups, tech giants, operators and investors.

The summit brings together 300+ water leaders for two days of collaboration, dialogue and deal-making. Networking is made easy, including advance connections with speakers and delegates via a 1:1 meeting system and a dedicated networking hub throughout the summit.

Each year the World Water-Tech Innovation Summit is produced in partnership with the UK Department for International Trade and attracts large delegations from Europe, Asia, North America, South America, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia who come to showcase best-in-class innovation and form lasting business partnerships.

Industrial Water 2020 goes online!

We are looking forward to meeting you for a virtual conference from 17-19 November 2020, featuring an interactive programme filled with expert talks, ePosters and a virtual exhibition!

“Industrial Water 2020 – International Conference & Exhibition on Water Management in Industry” is the information hub for all experts in industrial water management, from applied research, technology development, application to solution providers and industrial water users.

The event addresses all relevant topics along the industrial water value chains:

• from raw water to waste water treatment
• from sensoring to digitization in industrial water management
• from alternative water resources to zero liquid discharge and integrated management.

Industrial Water 2020 covers the full range of industrial sectors from process industries, via pulp & paper to food & beverages.

Efficient water use and management is essential in industry, as water is a key factor of increasing importance in the future, especially for process industries. In parallel, efficient industrial water management provides industry with a wide range of economic and strategic advantages. The global trend of a significant increase in water use for the coming decades is evident across all types of predictions and future forecasts. Industry is considered to be one of the main drivers. Even so ambitious water targets are on the (sustainability) agenda of most companies, there is a considerable potential to increase water use and cost efficiency.

After a very valuable event for all participants in 2018, we want to invite you to join Industrial Water in 2020.

The 2020 World Water Congress & Exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark is designed to bring together over 10,000 water professionals from academia, utilities, industry, government, regulators and NGOs and also engage the water-consuming industry, agriculture, architects and urban planners, hydrologists and soil and groundwater experts, social sciences, ICT-sector, the financial sector and others. The Congress is by nature a global forum for discussion. We invite you to be an active player in shaping the future of water at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2020 by submitting your outline papers, workshop or training proposals.

We live in a time of great change and with that comes great responsibility. In 2020, we have 10 years left to deliver on the UN 2030 Agenda for Change and meet the Sustainable Development Goals, including making significant progress on climate change mitigation as well as adaptation. This calls for a profound transformation, also in the water sector.

The IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition 2020 will take stock of the global water challenges we face, the emerging scientific breakthroughs and the innovative approaches and inspiring solutions validated around the world to set an unequivocal water-wise path ahead. With an emphasis on SDG6, dedicated to water and sanitation, the Congress will also highlight the interwoven relation of water with all 17 Global Goals and show examples of implementation and cooperation towards the fulfilment of the SDGs. Participants will present, analyse, discuss and highlight progress and solutions at high-level summits, technical sessions, poster sessions, workshops, training sessions and site-visits.

Through the underlying theme ‘Water for smart liveable cities’, a concept in which Denmark is leading, we will explore smart, holistic and liveable city solutions that utilize synergies between various intelligent systems, empower cities to adapt to a changing climate and meet the Paris agenda, whilst improving the quality of life and well-being of our societies. In addition, we will contribute to developing a global culture of innovation that can enable the radical transformations required.