Forums and workshops add value to conference

Forums have been added to the program for the biennial Irrigation Australia 2008 Exhibition and Conference to discuss key issues confronting the irrigation industry in rural and urban Australia.

“The free forums will be conducted by panels of specialists on the topic and will cover metering, water restrictions, groundwater and drought case studies. There will be five forums providing a chance for people to learn what is happening on these important issues and share their thoughts,” said the CEO of Irrigation Australia Ltd, Jolyon Burnett.

There are also seven half-day workshops which offer hands-on learning about key topics for rural and urban irrigators.

“Experts in their fields will bring participants up to date with best practice in areas such as subsurface drip for dairy farming; open space irrigation; and selection, design and specification of irrigation systems. At only $120 a session, the workshops will provide excellent value for money,” said Jolyon.

The forums and workshops will run concurrently with sessions of the conference enabling visitors to the exhibition a chance to participate as well. The events are all being held at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre 20–22 May.

“The sessions are specifically designed so that people can make a full day of their visit to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre. The workshops and forums will provide them with a chance to discuss issues and learn new skills, before or after discovering new products, services and technologies at the Exhibition,” added Jolyon.

Workshops include:

• Improved soil management and irrigation;
• Subsurface drip on dairy;
• Best practice on open space irrigation;
• Urban use of recycled water;
• Selecting irrigation systems;
• Irrigation design and specification;
• Subsurface drip on turf.

Forums topics include:

• Metering;
• Drought case studies;
• Water restrictions;
• Groundwater;
• Smart Approved WaterMark Annual Forum.

Registrations for the exhibition, conference, workshops and forums are now available online at www.irrigationaustralia.com.au.