AC24 Conference & Expo, Call for Proposals

What will you present to empower and educate CWEA members?

Announcements

The AC24 Education Program Committee is currently accepting proposals for the Annual Conference & Expo on April 9-12, 2024, in Sacramento. AC is one of the largest gatherings of wastewater professionals on the West Coast. The mission is clear, the stage is yours – what will you present to empower and educate CWEA members?

This year’s conference theme is:
Mission Possible. A Sustainable Water Future Against All Odds.

Here are quick tips for a successful proposal:

• CWEA believes in outcome-centered learning. Engagement and discussions during a presentation are key to helping attendees gain knowledge and skills. We’ll provide speakers with a list of engagement ideas.
• Write down what the audience will take away. We’ll ask for three learner outcomes.
• Proposals for a 50-minute technical session and/or a pre-conference workshop will be accepted. Consider adding speakers if you need help filling the time.
• Apply before the deadline of August 25 at 11:59 p.m. (APPLICATION PERIOD IS CLOSED)
• Bonus points for either…
  • An experienced presenter paired with a first-time presenter
  • Or, co-presenters from different disciplines
• It is important that presenters complete their set-up tasks inside the AC24 speaker management portal – what we refer to as Cadmium.

Keep reading, additional conference details are below.

Need some ideas on building a great proposal and presentation? The AC24 Conference Committee compiled all of our best resources to help you.

Proposals due by August 25, 11:59 p.m. (APPLICATION PERIOD IS CLOSED)
Late proposals may not be considered.

PRESENTATION CATEGORIES

• Asset Management
• Big Data and Artificial Intelligence
• Biosolids
• Collection Systems
• Laboratory/ELAP
• Electrical and Instrumentation
• Emerging Challenges and Opportunities
• Leadership and Communication Skills
• Mechanical
• Nutrient Management
• Operations & Maintenance
• Pretreatment, Pollution Prevention, and Stormwater
• Public Outreach and Education
• Regulations
• Safety and Risk Management
• Water Resource Recovery Facilities
• Water Reuse and Advanced Water Treatment

If you have a question about these categories, please contact Education Program Committee Chair, Kevin Calderwood [email protected].

Did you know: Speakers receive double the number of contact hours as our thanks for presenting?

TECHNICAL SESSION OR WORKSHOP FORMAT

A technical session, including activity/discussion time, should be 50 minutes and qualify for one (1) CWEA contact hour in a specific practice area, depending on the topic. If you are hard pressed to fill the 50 minutes, consider including other speakers in your presentation. Similarly, you may submit more than one 50-minute proposal separately.

A preconference workshop will take place on April 9 from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.; two breaks and lunch are included in this time. Your workshop proposal of presentations and activity/discussion must fill this timeslot; hands-on activities are particularly desirable.

Proposals submitted by the due date will become the property of the CWEA AC24 Education Program Committee and will not be returned. Proprietary or confidential information included in proposals must be conspicuously stated.

SELECTION CRITERIA

The Education Committee will consider the educational value of each proposal, the expertise of the speakers, the speaker’s ability to engage an audience, and the speaker’s past conference evaluation results (if any).

Preferred proposals include one or more of the following elements:

• Presentation co-presented between an experienced presenter and first-time presenter
• Presentation co-presented between different disciplines (i.e., engineer and operations & maintenance)
• Inclusion of different perspectives; for example, a vendor presentation that includes a public agency speaker
• Information that has not been presented at a previous Annual Conference
• Clear and practical takeaways for attendees
• Topic with wide appeal to multiple audiences or to an individual practice area

SPEAKER POLICY

CWEA is a not-for-profit association. To keep registration costs affordable, CWEA is unable to reimburse speaker travel expenses or pay honorariums. Speakers can register/pay to attend for one day or the full conference at a slightly discounted rate.

The success of our conference depends on the efforts of CWEA volunteers. Your interest and commitment as a speaker are greatly appreciated. If the proposal is accepted by the Education Program Committee, speakers will be required to sign a CWEA speaker agreement and complete tasks in the Cadmium platform this fall.

As mentioned, confirmed presenters needing CWEA contact hours are eligible to receive twice the number of hours (that attendees receive) for their session.

The AC24 Education Program Committee looks forward to receiving and reviewing your presentation proposals.