The aim of Aquatech Amsterdam 2023 was to share technologies and solutions aimed at finding a more sustainable future for water. From November 6 to 9, the RAI Amsterdam exhibition and conference center became the epicenter of the water world with an event that attracted almost 800 exhibitors from all over the world.
The exhibition was divided into seven areas and 11 pavilions that covered almost all water sector topics, including the circular economy, the digital world, research and innovation, and the world of industrial and business water. One of the key highlights at Aquatech was digital transformation and how it affects water cycle management.
Along these lines, the Xylem Vue powered by GoAigua stand proved to be one of the most popular meeting points. During the four days of the exhibition, the team made up of experts from both Xylem Inc. and Idrica, was able to share and demonstrate the multiple functionalities and advantages of the Xylem Vue powered by GoAigua platform, which is the result of a partnership between the two organizations. According to Jorge Helmbrecht, Idrica‘s Business Development Manager, “it is really interesting to be at Aquatech because it gives you a better overview of the sector, a clearer vision of business horizons, and the opportunity to share knowledge with potential stakeholders, customers and even competitors, all of which improves the sector”.
Xylem Vue Powered by GoAigua
THE AQUATECH INNOVATION FORUM
Another highlight of the event was the Innovation Forum. This meeting, which was held on November 6 in parallel to Aquatech Amsterdam, consisted of a series of panel discussions in which experts from various sectors debated water-related topics such as innovation and the water-energy link.
This year, Pablo Alcoriza, CTO of Idrica, participated as a panelist in the round table entitled “Taking on ChatGPT: the AI and digital water revolution”. In his presentation, Alcoriza pointed out that digital transformation “opens up a whole host of opportunities, although it is true that it requires cultural changes, as it is a cross-cutting issue that affects the entire organization”. Alcoriza indicated that artificial intelligence “is a great tool that needs to be phased in progressively. Companies need to have people on the team with the right skills and knowledge who can perform content curation and can be critical of the information provided by ChatGPT”.
Alexis de Kerchove, Senior Director for Client Sustainability at Xylem, also participated in the session entitled “The Net Zero Journey”, in which he outlined the key strategies and tools that utilities are using to reach the Net Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissiontarget. He highlighted that “the water sector facing an important transformation as it is gearing up to build resilience to the climate crisis, grow circular economies and mitigate emissions of greenhouse gas. Digital and nature-based solutions are key solutions to help our customers reach these goals”.
Aquatech Amsterdam concluded on November 9 with twice as many exhibitors as two years ago. It is already looking ahead to its next events in Mexico, in September 2024; China, in December 2024, and Amsterdam, in March 2025.
