Not Your Average Show

Once a year irrigation professionals get the opportunity to mingle, network, learn and compete at the International Irrigation Show. This year, attendees head to San Diego, Calif., Dec. 9-11 where 350-plus exhibitors will be spread out over 212,000 square feet of show floor at the San Diego Convention Center.
 
For the first time, business management sessions will be included in the technical conference titled “Innovations in Irrigation.” These sessions are meant to help irrigation professionals stay up-to-date on what is happening within the industry.

Hot topics include smart controllers, new information on irrigation audits and using the WaterSense program in your business. Each session also includes a presentation on how to incorporate rainwater collection systems into a landscape irrigation business.
 
Visitors have a chance to participate in the show’s first government affairs roundtable which will address state and national issues affecting the industry. On a state level, more communities and states are adopting water restrictions and water conservation policies, says Beth Casteel, communications manager, the Irrigation Association headquartered in Falls Church, Va.
  
“It is important for the industry to continue to share our message that irrigation is part of the solution,” Casteel says. “Water conservation measures should include efficient irrigation, not no irrigation.”
 
The IA plans to reveal a new certification at the International Irrigation Show titled the Certified Water Conservation Manager-Landscape. “The CWCM-L assesses the applicant’s ability to take all the variables of existing systems  scheduling, maintenance and operation and make them operate as efficiently as possible,” Casteel says. Those who wish to be certified must already be a Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor or Golf Course Irrigation Auditor in good standing with three years of experience in the industry.
 
If visitors are interested in new products then they should check out the new product contest which brings everything debuting this year to one location on the show floor.
 
Along with walking the show floor, visitors will have time to network at the show’s first certification luncheon. Attendees will hear EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Ben Grumbles talk about the benefits of the WaterSense Program.
 
Visitors interested in seeing first-hand the role water conservation plays in San Diego County can sign up for the industry tours. The agricultural tour will take attendees to the Dramn and Echter Nursery and Greenhouse where their computer system uses solar sensors to automatically regulate the frequency of irrigation in each house. The bus also stops at Armstrong Flower Farm which uses a low emitter system to solve water pressure problems caused by irregular, steep terrain. The turf and landscape tour takes visitors to Sea World San Diego to learn how it maintains the beauty and diversity of its gardens and also to see their master valve in action for a mainline break. The other stop on the tour is the Water Conservation Garden which displays 5 acres of water conservation through a series of beautifully themed gardens.
 
With all the new additions to the show, there’s plenty for new and experienced attendees to see and do. From the exhibits and education seminars to the receptions and tours, the International Irrigation Show strives to provide industry professionals with the latest products, trends and information the industry has
to offer.