Details
WATER MANAGEMENT Smart Classes show key buyer side stakeholders how deploying the latest digital technology-enabled solutions, data-driven strategies, policies and best practices can help manage the distribution and management of water resources across our cities and regions, and also offers utilities and authorities an opportunity to improve efficiency and customer service, whilst reducing water scarcity and supporting the drive towards a net zero future.
Qualifying delegates include commissioning, procurement, innovation, trialling and partnering leads, senior influencers, strategic decision makers, environmental managers, policy makers and planners from UK water companies and utilities, wastewater and sewer operators, lead local flood authorities (unitary authorities and county councils), city/borough/metropolitan councils, district councils, combined authorities, internal drainage boards, regional flood & coastal committees, highways authorities, prime contractors, general insurers, large water consumers, national agencies, central governmental and regulatory bodies (e.g. Defra, DCLG, Ofwat, Environment Agency, DWI, SEPA), independent industry and consumer organisations (e.g. Water UK, CCW), river trusts, NGOs etc.
Core themes range from smart leakage detection and miniaturisation of sensors, smarter pressure management, asset tracking and connected water operations, modelling and simulation (incl. digital twins), the water company of the future, smart water gully maintenance and utilising smart meters effectively, to digital apps and platforms for demand management, smart telemetry systems for managing flood risk, sustainable drainage systems, smart sewers and wastewater management, innovations in water purification, smart billing and payments, harnessing AI for automation of customer engagement, and using real-time analytics and drones for monitoring water quality and mapping assets.
WATER MANAGEMENT Smart Class 2025 takes place at Nexus, Leeds on Wednesday 2nd April, and follows on from the highly acclaimed 2024 and 2022 editions that we hosted in London and Birmingham respectively.
Delegates will hear from industry movers, shapers and disruptors during initial rapid-fire thought leadership presentations, before moving on to in-depth consultations with experts and peers during the roundtable discussions. In addition, this Smart Class will feature up to 3 keynote presentations giving real world insight into collaborative initiatives, digital journeys and adoptions of emerging, transformative technologies. This half day in-person event is free to attend for bona fide delegates satisfying our registration criteria.
Previous Water Management Smart Classes have attracted stakeholders such as:
Previous presentations addressed the following topics:
Testimonials and feedback:
Strategic Innovation and Shop Window Lead, Anglian Water Services
“Thanks for the opportunity to share our experiences. The roundtables were very informative with some great conversations. Happy to support any future events”
Head of Smart Water, Anglian Water Services
“Thanks for the invite. The interesting content and a diverse group of attendees made for some very good roundtable discussions”
Smart Water Strategy Manager, SES Water
“Thanks for having me. It was a great event with some excellent speakers”
Project Manager – Innovative Flood Resilience, East Sussex County Council/Project Manager, Blue Heart
“The programme content was helpful and relevant. Informative presentations, engaging roundtable discussions…and I found alternative approaches to improve community engagement and behavioural change especially valuable”
Senior Technical Project Manager – Water, Drainage, Resilience and Urban Planning, Greater London Authority (GLA)
“Smart Classes (format) was a great way of presenting and I found all of the roundtables equally valuable”
Project Officer – Flood & Water Management Team, Hertfordshire County Council
“Excellent organisation. Chatting to all of the other delegates in the roundtables was most valuable”
Senior Flood Risk Officer, Hertfordshire County Council
“An excellent event. Thank you for bringing it to my attention”
Head of Water Efficiency and Demand Management, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
“Thanks a lot for inviting me. It was a fantastic event and I look forward to joining the next sessions”
Head of Rivers and Seas, Water UK
“My colleagues attended the event and got a lot out of it”
Policy Director, Water UK
“It was an enjoyable morning. Thanks again for accommodating me”
Chair of BIM4Water Skills and Culture Task Group, BIM4Water at British Water
“Excellent event. Would recommend Smart Classes to colleagues”
Principal Climate Change and Sustainability Officer, Environment Agency (EA)
“Thank you very much for the conference yesterday. I got a lot of value from the session…definitely worth the time invested”
Development Director, Horizon Energy Infrastructure
“Excellent seminar for knowledge sharing and networking with a wide range of industry experts. Great to hear about open, collaborative projects which encourage true innovation…excellent discussion on how industry can be better joined up and how we motivate the public to care for water”
Partner & Flood Risk Management Lead, Ridge and Partners
“Thanks for the opportunity to keynote. I really enjoyed it and hope to see you again in the future”
Control and Automation Architect, Asset Intelligence and Innovation, Severn Trent
“A great day today in Birmingham attending a Water Management Smart Class run by Smart Classes. There was a range of interesting keynote speakers and innovators from the Environment Agency, Project Centre, Severn Trent and many more. Personal highlights included James Ballard’s presentation on how Artificial Intelligence is transforming water networks, alongside Tom de la Rosa who highlighted key areas of EA funding and Jed Ramsay who presented Project Groundwater. Thanks for facilitating a great day. As a relatively new member of the Water Industry it was great to connect with so many new faces”
Flood and Coastal Risk Consultant, Binnies
“Many thanks for the chance to speak yesterday. It was a really well run event”
Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes Manager, Environment Agency
“Excellent event. Digital innovation for flood warnings and management of particular interest”
Head of Strategic Networks, West Yorkshire Combined Authority
“Great to join the Smart Water Management knowledge exchange today”
Chair of the Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) Water Reuse & Finish Group
“Thanks for hosting us yesterday. I thought it was an excellent event and I was really pleased to be able to speak. The format is excellent too (timings, venue, food, roundtable discussions). Will certainly be recommending to colleagues in the future”
Project Groundwater Programme Manager, Strategic Flood Management Team, Buckinghamshire Council
“Very well presented and put together. I will definitely be in attendance again”
Senior Business Development Manager SMSTS, Quest Waste Management
“Good event – informative on transferable skills”
Regional Operations Manager – Pumping, Yorkshire Water
“It was a pleasure to attend and a very useful event”
Place Strategy Manager, Nottinghamshire County Council
“This was an interesting event today by Smart Classes. All of the presentations and roundtable discussions were valuable and topics such as digital transformation (of the water industry) and flood management were most interesting”
Research Fellow in Hydro Informatics, University of Exeter
“Thank you for having me today, Smart Classes. It was a very informative and educative conference”
Energy & Sustainability Advisor, CBRE
“It was a great event and very well organised. Congratulations!”
Project Manager, Strategic Flood Management Team, Buckinghamshire Council
“I was fortunate to present at the Water Management 2024 Smart Class today. Had interesting conversations with so many different professionals working around one major aspect of the urban infrastructure – Water! There was an unlimited flow of knowledge in the room and many interesting concerns for discussion. All of the roundtables were informative. What struck me was the multifaceted nature of urban infrastructure. Even while focusing on just one aspect (water), it has so many hats, and every professional in the room brought a different lens to the table”
Senior Urban Designer, Project Centre, part of Marston Holdings (Innovation Sponsor)
“Excellent event. Enjoyed the format and information, and lessons learnt from the keynotes were most valuable”
Principal Landscape Architect, Project Centre, part of Marston Holdings (Innovation Sponsor)
“Thank you for the opportunity. I really enjoyed the presentations and the roundtable discussions were very insightful too. We are dedicated to fostering meaningful partnerships between water companies, local authorities, communities, and stakeholders. By working together, we can harness the power of digital solutions as enablers of change, propelling us towards a more sustainable and resilient future”
Co-Founder & COO (now CEO), Our Rainwater (Innovation Sponsor)
“Another fantastic conference by Smart Classes and a great opportunity for me to share my knowledge and expertise. I presented the concepts of interconnected systems and national digital twins, focussing attention on the benefits for the water sector and how data flow and information management will be key in tackling modern day water challenges. Thank you for letting me share and learn amongst our sector peers”
Global BIM Manager at Xylem & Past Chair of BIM4Water (Innovation Sponsor)
“Thanks to the Smart Classes team for organising a great workshop with a wide range of stakeholders!”
Commercial Director, Metasphere (Innovation Sponsor)
“Huge thanks to Smart Classes for hosting the Water Management Smart Class event yesterday. It was great to provide insight to the sector wide work BIM4Water are collaborating on and hopefully we have gained some new members”
National Rehearsal Lead at MWH Treatment & Chair of BIM4Water (Innovation Sponsor)
“An excellent event experience. Helpful programme content, engaging roundtable discussions, excellent opportunities to network…and all of the presentations were good, providing different perspectives”
Green Valley Group (Innovation Sponsor)
“It was fantastic to meet so many at the Water Management Smart Class yesterday, where F. Javier Soto and myself presented on how sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) can mitigate flood risk and the impacts of climate change. We referred to our recent South Chingford flood mitigation scheme, developed for the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It was great to learn from the great work of others in the industry and to see so much interest in how our sustainable approach has significantly reduced flood risks whilst providing an opportunity to improve biodiversity and enhance water quality”
Technical Director, Project Centre (Innovation Sponsor)
“Excellent event, organisation and facilities”
Principal Civil Engineer, Project Centre (Innovation Sponsor)
“It was a pleasure to present in person today at the Water Management Smart Class with my colleagues at BIM4Water and 4D BIM and Beyond. It is an exciting time to be in the water industry, seeing the digital transformation taking place”
BIM Coordinator at Binnies & Chair of BIM4Water’s 4D BIM and Beyond Task Group (Innovation Sponsor)
Speakers
“West Yorkshire Flood Innovation Programme (WYFLIP): Providing a Collaborative Framework for Innovation” – With the impacts of a changing climate increasingly testing the infrastructure and communities of the UK, innovation and collaboration are key factors in successfully increasing the climate resilience of the Yorkshire region.
The West Yorkshire Flood Innovation Programme is intended to make the region more resilient to flooding and climate change. The project is led by five local authorities, as well as a number of key partners including The Environment Agency and West Yorkshire Combined Authority, local stakeholders, academic partners, community based groups, Third Sector organisations and Yorkshire Water.
This keynote – presented by Jonathan Moxon (Leeds City Council’s Executive Manager – Flood & Climate Resilience, and WYFLIP Programme Manager) – takes a look at how this collaborative programme came to be, how it is funded, the successes and challenges to date and its plans for the future.
Highlighting the importance of clear governance and finding new ways to fund and resource collaborative multi-organisational projects and programmes, Jonathan will talk on behalf of the WYFLIP Board on their first 3 years of partnership working to develop a programme based on key themes, clear and open governance and flexibility.
The programme was born out of an unsuccessful FCRIP bid, but a change in approach and learning from elsewhere has helped it develop from a solid base to now have a growing and sustainable future.
“Fostering Innovation: Northumbrian Water’s Approach to Driving Transformational Change” –
“Innovation is at the heart of Northumbrian Water’s strategy, ensuring we deliver value to customers, enhance resilience, and drive sustainable water management. But how do you create an environment where innovation thrives?”
Dr. Angela MacOscar, Head of Innovation at Northumbrian Water, will explore the key principles and enablers that embed a successful innovation culture within an organisation.
Angela will showcase how Northumbrian Water is turning bold ideas into reality, highlighting groundbreaking projects that exemplify the power of collaboration and technological advancement. She will delve into:
- National Underground Asset Register – Transforming infrastructure management through industry-wide data sharing.
- Water Cookbook – An asset design standardisation initiative that will enable AMP8 to be more cost effective and faster at deployment.
- Generative AI for Chemical Dosing – Harnessing cutting-edge AI to optimise treatment processes and reduce environmental impact.
- Smart Skies for Healthier Rivers – Using satellite and drone technology to monitor and improve river water quality.
Angela will also discuss the challenges of scaling innovation, sharing insights on overcoming barriers, securing stakeholder buy-in, and fostering effective partnerships across sectors. She will highlight the role of initiatives like the Ofwat Innovation Fund in accelerating progress, as well as the growing importance of international collaboration in shaping the future of water innovation.
Gain valuable insights from this keynote presentation into Northumbrian Water’s innovation journey and discover how organisations can create the right conditions to drive real change in the water sector.
“Ensuring High Quality and Sufficient Drinking Water Through Risk-Based Technical Regulation” – Safe, clean drinking water is vital to public health and the wellbeing of our society. This was first recognised in the Public Health Act of 1848 where water should be “pure and wholesome”, enabling the local Board for Health to construct, or contract waterworks. The technology of water treatment and provision has significantly changed over the last 177 years, but the one thing which remains central is that water must be wholesome with the current legislation for which the duty rests on water companies.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate is the statutory technical regulator delegated by the Secretary of State for the Environment to protect public health and the safety and security of our drinking water. As a highly specialist body, the work is wide ranging, covering the supply from source to tap and addressing quality, sufficiency, operational technology and security using a risk-based data-driven methodology to target regulatory priorities and the outcomes of the water companies.
This keynote from DWI Chief Inspector Marcus Rink will provide a short introduction into the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the work of the scientists, analysts and engineers who oversee our drinking water supply arrangements. Marcus will also explore:
- The successes of water industry regulation since 1990
- How does the UK water supply compare to the world?
- And, is there more to do?
“Enhancing Flood Resilience in Urban Neighbourhoods through Small-Scale Interventions” – In this presentation, Project Centre’s David Chapman (Associate Director) and Hannah Watson-Hill (Assistant Flood Risk Engineer) will explore the role of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and urban landscape design in reducing local flood risks.
SuDS, designed to mimic natural drainage processes, offer multifunctional solutions to manage stormwater. By integrating features like permeable pavements, rain gardens, and swales, communities can reduce flood risks, enhance biodiversity, and improve urban aesthetics.
Urban landscape design complements SuDS by incorporating green infrastructure into the built environment. Vegetated swales and rain gardens manage stormwater, reduce urban heat islands, improve air quality, and create recreational spaces.
These interventions can be tailored for different urban settings, leveraging other highway schemes to maximise SuDS benefits, even with a focus on traffic calming.
Finally, Dave and Hannah will highlight the importance of community engagement. Collaboration among local governments, planners, landscape architects, engineers, and residents ensures holistic, locally driven solutions.
Luke McGuinness (Associate Director for Landscape and Urban Design) will join Dave and Hannah for the subsequent roundtable discussions.
“Driving Digital Transformation of a Sector in Support of the National Digital Twin Programme, with a Key Focus on 4D and Beyond” – This presentation will provide an overview of BIM4Water, a voluntary group of industry stakeholders with a membership following of 2100+. These individuals have come together to tackle key industry challenges using digital tools and processes. This sees a diverse array of unusual participants and competitors working alongside each other in a truly collaborative way. This includes regulators, 22 water companies, supply chain, manufacturers, trade bodies, institutions and academia.
Jamie and Rodrigue will review the journey of BIM4Water to date and highlight the key work of the 4D and beyond task group and its future plans in supporting the water sector in its adoption of visualisation to drive digital transformation and great collaborative practices.
“Combining the Real and Digital Worlds to Act Flexibly and Sustainably” – With ageing and failing assets it is ever important to manage your assets in the optimum way. Whether that is by installing sensors and monitoring your MCerts certifications, monitoring sensors in trash screens or smart drainage in flood risk areas, Brightly and Siemens provide the data and the means to be proactive and optimise work schedules.
In this presentation, Hannah Winstanley (UK General Manager and Country Lead at Brightly, A Siemens Company) and Adam Cartwright (Industry Strategy Director: Water and Wastewater Software, Siemens) will demonstrate how using AI and weather predictions can help identify potential blockages based on rainfall forecasts, and also pinpoint where damage or blockages already exist in your drainage network.
“water@leeds: Translating Research into Water Solutions” – The University of Leeds interdisciplinary water centre was created in 2009 to provide interdisciplinary solutions to water challenges. water@leeds works with partner organisations internationally, nationally and regionally to tackle water-related challenges at various scales.
Dr Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Head of water@leeds, will present water@leeds’ journey from horizon scanning to innovative solutions highlighting the importance of an interdisciplinary approach. Gabriela’s talk will address:
- How do we identify priority water research questions?
- water@leeds research strategy
- Translating research and opportunities for collaboration
This presentation will address the challenges and benefits of collaborations with interdisciplinary research centres.
Dr Dylan Young (Research Fellow) and Dr Devakunjari Vadibeler (KTP Associate – Environmental Engineer) will be joining Gabriella at the podium to share case studies as part of this presentation.
Agenda
- 8:30 am - 9:00 am Registration, Networking and Refreshments
- 9:00 am - 9:30 am Introduction and Opening Keynote
- 9:30 am - 10:40 am Expert Innovator Presentations
- 10:40 am - 11:00 am Keynote Speaker 2
- 11:00 am - 12:40 pm Roundtable Discussions and Consultations
- 12:40 pm - 1:00 pm Keynote Speaker 3
- 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Close and Lunch Networking
