In less than a week Adelaide will be bursting with irrigation professionals from around Australia as well as the international water community at the Irrigation Australia 2012 Conference and Trade Show.

Themed Resilience: Bouncing Forward, this year’s event will bring the irrigation industry together for a jam-packed conference program, with delegates from both rural and urban backgrounds able to attend a stream of additional events focusing on education, hands-on experiences, and networking. This annual conference and trade show is one of the best opportunities for industry professionals to learn, gain knowledge and connect with colleagues new and old.

In a first for this year’s conference, there is also a program of professional development workshops for certified irrigation professionals focusing on education and career development.

Technical tours will run during and after the conference visiting regional and local water industry projects, as well as farming areas and water recycling plants, giving delegates a chance to see and hear irrigation methods in use and create a tangible learning experience.

And no conference would be complete without an array of social events for attendees to enjoy.

“We are pleased to offer so many different elements to the conference this year,” commented Ian Atkinson, CEO of Irrigation Australia. “The conference sessions and workshops offer a focus on education, and for those who like to get their feet wet, the technical tours are a great way to gain real insight into actual irrigation projects.

“We encourage attendees to join us for the irrigation awards dinner, and or the golf tournament. These social events give people a chance for some relaxed conversations with their peers, and as we all know some of the best business relationships are formed in social networking situations”, said Mr Atkinson.

The Irrigation Australia 2012 Conference and Trade Show will be held in Adelaide from 26 - 28, June 2012 at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

IAL Professional Development Workshops

Monday 25 June

• Soil Moisture Monitoring – Insights in crop response in relations to salinity and soil water content. Peter Buss (Sentek Technologies)
• Practical design and installation of prefabricated bitumen membranes. Nick Kastoumis (GeoBDM & Teranap)
• Benchmarking Urban Irrigation Performance – Towards Development of National Standards. Bhakti Devi (Sydney City Council)
• Energy Efficiency for Electric and Diesel Pumping. Rob Welke (Tallamenco)
• Practical applications of satellite remote sensing input for agriculture and environmental water management. Michael Cutting (SA Murray Darling Basin NRM Board) Guido D’Urso (University of Naples Federico II, Italy) Richard Soppe (CSIRO Griffith)

Tuesday 26 June

• Funding Major Irrigation Infrastructure – What you need to know (Mattila Lawyers) & (AECOM)
• Managing Carrying Capacity of Playing Fields – Demand Management of Urban Irrigation. Bhakti Devi (Sydney City Council)

Wednesday 27 June

• Workplace Health & Safety – Lifting the Fog in 2012. Ben Urry (Kemp Strang Lawyers)

Technical Day Tours

Monday 25 June

• Glenelg to Adelaide Park Lands Recycled Water Project
• 8.30am – 4.30pm
• City of Salisbury Tour
• 8.30am – 5pm: Salisbury Wetlands/Aquifer Injection Sites

Friday 29 June

• Willunga Basin Water (WBW) at McLaren Vale.
• 8.30am – 5.30pm: Take a tour of the Willunga Basin Water Projects and Wineries.

Virginia Tour

• 8.15am – 5.40pm: Visit a low tech and hi- tech Hydroponic vegetable grower, the Virginia Nursery and Water Infrastructure Group’s, Virginia Irrigation Scheme.
• Glenelg to Adelaide Park Lands Recycled Water Project
• 8.30am – 4.30pm

Regional Post Conference Tour

Departs from Adelaide Friday 29 June at 8.30am and arrives in Canberra on Sunday 1st July.

• Day 1 – Visit Parilla Potatoes – large scale farm using groundwater / centre pivots before an overnight in Balranald, NSW.
• Day 2 – Tour Coleambally Irrigation large scale works and one of the most modern open-channel irrigation systems in Australia before overnight in Griffith, NSW.
• Day 3 – Visit the Murrumbidgee Irrigation District and arrive in Canberra, ACT.

IAL 2012 Social Events

• Irrigation Australia 2012 Golf Tournament
• Sunday 24 June: 9am Pickup – Glenelg Golf Club
• $190 per person for 18 holes

• IAL Annual Awards Dinner
• Wednesday 27 June: 7pm – Adelaide Convention Centre
• $150 per head or $1,400 for a table of 10

• International Farewell Dinner
• Thursday 28 June: 7pm – Adelaide Convention Centre
• Dinner is inclusive of ‘full’ registrations.