The Unsung HEROES of Successful Industry Events

SCOTT LANDES
In the pages of this issue, you will see a lot of coverage for different conferences and events. I feel strongly that live events are still the most effective way we have of reaching industry professionals and sharing the safe digging message. Damage Prevention Professional will continue to devote space to these events which are committed to helping us, as an industry, save lives.

Over the past few years, global collaboration has become an integral part of the industry message. From Canada and the U.S. all the way to Australia and New Zealand, those passionate about the protection of our buried infrastructure continue to gather to share dialogue and learn from each other.

But there is a huge collaborative effort going on behind the scenes that most people don’t even realize exists. These are the people I want to recognize here – the people who serve on advisory boards for these events. There are hundreds of people involved in reviewing topics and papers and sourcing knowledgeable speakers to address those topics.

The events you attend, or read about in these pages, could not have the quality of education they do without the involvement of these unsung heroes. The members of the advisory boards volunteer their time to participate in conference calls to discuss the must-cover topics, brainstorming appropriate educational track materials and making suggestions for improvements to both the education and the event itself. They review abstracts received and make recommendations. They help in every step along the production process.

These are people just like you, representing every industry track from gas & oil, telecommunications, water & sewer and electric to One Call, engineering, regulatory, excavation and locating. They fill roles from field operatives to C-level executives and everything in between. The one unifying attribute of these individuals is their deep dedication and passion for serving the industry and increasing damage prevention awareness.

If you believe you would be a good fit on one of these advisory boards and would like to learn more about how you can take an active role in the development of the educational tracks of these events, contact Michele@emailir.com. We’d love to hear from you.

We are in the process of finalizing our educational sessions for the 2019 CGA 811 Excavation Safety Conference & Expo. With well over 100 different scheduled events, our speaker list is expected to top 200 volunteers. I’d like to express my appreciation to everyone who submitted an abstract for this event and thank the speakers who are giving of their time and talent to add value to our event, and the companies they represent for allowing them to use their knowledge and skills to make a difference in our drive to zero damages.