Reflecting on the recent 2023 International Structural Waterproofing Conference
PCA's Andy Ferguson reflects on #ISWC23
Let me start by saying that I am probably a 'little one sided' when I say this, but what a great conference we had last week!
Our annual "International Structural Waterproofing Conference" (#ISWC23) took place on 20th July, 2023, at the University of Warwick and it again turned out to be another sell-out event, packed with industry experts and loaded with insights, ideas, and knowledge. From my perspective, it was another highly successful event!
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Maintaining its international appeal...
Similar to previous years, we were pleased to see this conference continue its international appeal, with delegates attending from countries far and near, including America, Germany, Nigeria, Ireland, Canada, and of course, all over the UK.
What is great to see over the years of hosting this event is how each year more and more individuals are recognising the expertise and knowledge shared within these conferences, helping cement the fact that both the PCA and the UK are at the forefront of the structural and below ground waterproofing industry.
Insights from the day coming soon…
In this reflection, I don't plan to go into detail about all the presentations over the day. That opportunity will come with the release of individual presentation videos over the forthcoming weeks. However, if I was to pick out a few presentations from the day, for me personally (and I suspect for many others on the day), one of the most interesting presentations came from Laura Beverage, who looked ahead at the impact of the Building Safety Act on the waterproofing sector, leading to a whole debate on responsibility for waterproofing design. Had the panel debate been earlier in the day, I suspect we may not have had time for lunch due to the level of discussion stimulated by Laura's presentation! I also enjoyed Maxime Duzyk's presentation, in which he described the use of PU foam as both a water and radon barrier.
As much as I may have highlighted two presentations above, there was a large variety of speakers on many topics, all leading to a stimulating debate at the end of the conference. As I mentioned though, we will take the opportunity to talk about our other speakers over the coming weeks as we release the presentation videos from the day. I would encourage anyone who works within the sector (whether you attended the event or not) to "grab hold" of these video insights and take the opportunity to benefit from this valuable CPD!
For the time being, and for those who might want to see how good the event was, check out the album and pictures below. If you were there…then you might just see yourself in one or two of the images!
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Final thoughts and upcoming conferences to come…
Before I finish off this blog, it is clear to me that the many experts and delegates who take part in these conferences are what make these events so good. Your contribution helps to make sure that the PCA and its members are seen as the "leading voice" of the industry.
The challenge now for the internal PCA team is, "How do we make it even better next year?" Well, that's a challenge that we are certainly up for, and we hope you all will join us again in 2024.
In the meantime, don’t forget that we have some great conferences taking place soon, including both the ‘2023 Property Care Conference’ in September and the ‘2023 Invasive Weeds Conference’ in November.
More about future conferences >>