The International Desalination Association (IDA) has selected San Diego, California, USA, as the site for its 2015 World Congress.
The Congress will be held at the San Diego Convention Center during 29 August-4 September 2015. This will be the first time since 1999 that the IDA World Congress has taken place in North America.
Southern California has a long and rich history in the development of desalination technology. Today, the region is home to numerous companies engaged in various aspects of the desalination industry as well as universities and research centers such as the UCLA Water Technology Research (WaTeR) Center.
In addition, the Carlsbad Desalination Project, when completed, will be one of the largest seawater reverse-osmosis plants in North America, providing San Diego County with a locally-controlled, drought-proof supply of high quality water that meets or exceeds all state and federal drinking water standards.
“IDA has established a rigorous site selection process that includes visits to the bidding locations as well as evaluation according to a comprehensive set of criteria,” said Patricia Burke, IDA secretary general. “Considerations include the availability of a venue with suitable size, layout, amenities and proximity to appropriate hotels; local support; good travel connections and customs/visa requirements; availability of plant tours and/or access to research centers; and regional interest in desalination.
Burke noted that IDA also received a strong bid from São Paulo, Brazil, to host the 2015 World Congress.
“Latin America is an important emerging market for desalination, and São Paulo submitted a solid proposal for our next World Congress. We were very impressed by our site visit as well as the level of interest and support that our colleagues there displayed during the site selection process. As a result, we plan to organize a technical conference there in 2014, and we will certainly consider São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city, as a location for our 2017 World Congress,” she said.
Held every two years, the IDA World Congress is the premiere global event focused on desalination and water reuse. It features a four-day Technical Program, industry-leading Exhibition, plant tours, IDA Desalination Academy courses, an awards program, and extensive opportunities for networking throughout Congress week. Attendees include the world’s most prominent desalination industry players including end-users (utilities), manufacturers, suppliers, government officials, consulting engineers, project developers, financiers, researchers and scientists from around the globe.
The 2013 IDA World Congress takes place on 20‑25 October 2013 in Tianjin, China. For more information, visit the IDA website.