Call for Annual Conference Presentations

The Public Works Association of BC represents individuals working for municipalities, utility companies and engineering consulting firms, in BC and Yukon. They represent approximately 350 members who all share the same dedication to improving the quality of life for citizens.

The British Columbia Municipal Safety Association represents individuals working for municipalities, and together they help employers improve the health and safety of workers in the local government sector, and to ultimately help reduce costs through fewer injuries and lower assessment rates.

So, what about the conference!

Our conference is a three-day event of presentations and panels featuring over 70 presenters from across North America, attended by up to 450 people complemented by a dynamic tradeshow with over 100 exhibitors.

The education program at the conference provides a dynamic forum for information exchange and it is divided into four streams: Public Works, Safety, Utilities and Leadership. Our goal is to provide delegates with a diverse range of topics to optimize their learning experience, take advantage of emerging technologies, understand and prepare for challenges that lie ahead, and provide better services to their organizations and communities.

We are looking for speakers with new perspectives, solid best practices and innovative approaches.

Conference Streams

1. Public Works

Active Transportation
Asset Management
Construction Management
Emergency Management
Fleet Management
Parks, Ground & Cemetery Roads
Streets & Bridges
Traffic Engineering
Snow & Ice
Solid Waste
Technology & Innovation
Other?

2. Occupational Health & Safety

Mental/Psychological Health
Ergonomics
Fatigue Management
Managing Risk
Injury/Disability Management
Emergency Preparedness
Safety Strategic Planning
Confined Space
Safety Culture
Effective Safety Committee
Inspections
Investigations
Injury Prevention
Safety Leadership
Excavation Safety
Impairment

3 Utilities

Biosolids Management
Climate Change
Environmental/Sustainability
Electrical
Regulation/Compliance
Stormwater/Flood Control
Water & Wastewater
Impairment

4. Leadership/ Management

Career & Personal Development
Legislation & Regulation
Legal issues/Managing liability
Respectful workplace
Succession planning

This list is not exhaustive and we welcome submissions cove ring clever and relevant topics.

Timelines

November 15: Online submission process opens
February 7: Deadline for submissions (extended)
March 2 – 6: Technical Committee will contact selected to confirm municipal
partner and assign timeslot.
April 13 -17: Final review and confirmation of presentation title, descriptions and
presenters
April 30: Conference technical program posted on website
September 15: Submission of final presentation via file transfer
September 21-22: Delivery of presentations at conference

Presentations are invited from municipal leaders, consultants and vendors. Presenters from the private sector are strongly encouraged to submit presentations that include a partnership with a municipality to highlight: What was the reason for the project or service? Specifically, please address:

What was the problem or desired benefit?
How was it resolved?
What are the lessons learned?

Presenters are asked to identify what techniques they will utilize to actively engage the delegates and promote discussion, questions and sharing of information.

Presentation range in duration from 45 to 60 minutes for the Public Works and Utilities streams. There are a limited number of slots for Safety and Leadership presentations that may be up to 75 to 90 minutes long.

Please note that making a submission does not guarantee a presentation slot and we are not able to give feedback on individual submissions.

Submit presentation online at: events.eply.com/2020CallforPresentations

How Are Presentations Selected?

All submissions are reviewed and evaluated by the Program Review Committee based on the following criteria:

Practical application – Information can be used in day-to-day work settings, lessons-learned, how-to-do-it strategies

Leading-edge – Addresses emerging trends and technologies, innovative concepts and approaches, solutions that provide improvements to the provision of public works services and/or advancement of safety.

Relevance and clarity – Content is interesting and useful to a significant number of expected attendees. Learning objectives are clearly stated using active verbs that indicate how the participants will benefit from the information presented.

Balance – The Program Review Committee will also review for balance to ensure that all streams have a variety of relevant presentations and that any one topic area is not overrepresented, and that any one speaker or organization is not disproportionately represented among the final selections. In addition, presentations that include a municipal perspective will be prioritized.

No sales-pitches please! Direct promotion of a speaker’s/company’s products, services, or monetary self-interest are not appropriate for education sessions. The conference audience appreciates learning about technologies, services, concepts, and new approaches; but are sensitive to the sales promotion approach.

Speaker registration and travel expenses

If your submission is selected for the education program, your preference for timeslot will be considered but cannot be guaranteed and you will be required to cover your own travel and personal expenses as well as the conference registration fee (early bird rate). If you plan to attend only on the day of your presentation, you may qualify for a complimentary single day registration upon special request.

Questions?

Public Works, Utilities and Leadership streams, contact:
Ashifa Dhanani, Executive Director PWABC
Email: executivedirector@pwabc.ca
Phone: 604-880-8585

Safety and Leadership streams, contact:
Christine Zielke, Operational Manager BCMSA
Email czielke@bcmsa.ca
Phone: 778-835-3435