Plan your visit at IWA 2026
Join us for a series of insightful in-booth and conference presentations, where Xylem will showcase the latest innovations and solutions in water and wastewater management. Browse our schedule below to plan your visit and make the most of your time at the event. Immerse yourself in innovation and connect with our experts.
Xylem IWA 2026 schedule
|
|
Time | Session | ||
|
|
9:45-10:15 a.m. Coffee break Xylem booth |
Industrial Water Forum kickoff Introduction by Chiara Lucia Tregnago, Xylem Gather at the Xylem booth for networking, coffee and refreshments before the start of the Industrial Water Forum. |
||
|
|
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Industrial Water Forum Boisdale 1 |
Industrial Water Forum, session 1: Food & Beverage and Industrial Reuse Presenters include Alexis de Kerchove (Xylem) |
||
|
|
12:30-2:30 p.m. World Water Camp Aecom Glasgow Office |
World Water Camp, careers workshop: How to build a resilient and prosperous career in water Presenters include James Chapman (Xylem) |
||
|
|
1:30-3:00 p.m. Industrial Water Forum Boisdale 1 |
Industrial Water Forum, session 2: Data Centers | ||
|
|
3:00-4:00 p.m. Women in Water Xylem booth |
Beneath the Surface - live Co-hosted by Lila Thompson (British Water) |
||
|
|
3:30-5:00 p.m. Technical session Carron 1 |
TS 4.1 Advanced modelling and management for stormwater networks Co-chaired by Ruth Clarke (Xylem) This session examines the science and practice of managing stormwater in increasingly complex urban environments. Presentations explore hydraulic behaviour, rainfall variability for storms, efficiency and maintenance of treatment facilities and design considerations.
|
||
|
|
3:30-5:00 p.m. Workshop Boisdale 1 |
WS 1.6 Empowering the next generation: A collective pledge to secure the water sector’s future Chair: Alexis De Kerchove (Xylem) Co-chair: Darren Eckford Speakers: Emma Miller (Xylem), Marieke Muller, Lila Thompson, Nuno Broco, Paul Campbell, Annesley Crisp, Ania Andersch, Chiara Lucia Tregnago (Xylem) This workshop will address one of the most pressing challenges facing the global water community: rebuilding the next generation of skilled water practitioners. With thousands of experienced operators and engineers retiring across Europe and North America, and limited new entrants from vocational and undergraduate programs, the sector risks a widening skills gap that undermines climate adaptation and service resilience. While the sector needs to increase its attractiveness to young professionals, we also need to increase our ability to retain talent in a context where other sectors are more competitive than the water sector. The session will unite utilities, educators, technology providers, and public institutions to co-develop solutions that make water careers more visible, attractive, and future-ready. Through collaborative dialogue and shared learning, participants will identify innovative training models, partnership approaches, and enabling policies to strengthen talent pipelines. The outcomes will be summarized in a white paper and a collective Sector Skills Pledge that organizations can endorse—reinforcing long-term collaboration beyond the conference and ensuring continuity of action through the IWA network. |
||
|
|
3:30-5:00 p.m. Workshop Lomond |
WS 1.4 Blueprints for tomorrow: Standardising the future of water Chair: Helen Kowe Co-chair: Daniel Heywood Speakers: Helen Kowe, Daniel Heywood, Alan Black (Xylem), Andrew Welsh (Xylem) As the global water industry faces increasing pressure to deliver sustainable, resilient, and equitable services, the need for harmonised standards has never been more urgent. Yet, despite the clear benefits, embedding standardisation across diverse geographies, regulatory environments, and operational cultures remains a significant challenge. This collaborative session will bring together international experts from academia, utilities, technology providers, and policy-making bodies to explore the future of standardisation in the water sector. Through interactive panels, breakout discussions, and real-world case studies, participants will:Identify key blockers to standardisation, including regulatory fragmentation, legacy systems, and cultural resistance. Explore successful models of standardisation from other sectors and regions. Co-create a roadmap for accelerating adoption, with input from both academic research and industry practice. |
||
|
|
3:30-5:00 p.m. Workshop Gala |
WS 2.4 Cross sector collaboration to accelerate the circular water economy Chair: Paul Schuler Co-chair: Laila Sukkariyyah Speakers: Alexis De Kerchove (Xylem), Miriam Feilberg, Marcel Sanches, Rasha Maal-Bared, Kwasi (Jacob) Amengor, Paul Schuler This workshop will convene leaders from utilities, industry, academia, water associations and technology providers to accelerate the circular water economy through WEF’s Reduce–Recover–Regenerate framework. Participants will learn from real-world examples and engage in solutions-oriented discussions and collaborative design sprints.The desired output is actionable Reduce, Recover, and Regenerate pathways supported by cross-sector partnership models, including identified enablers such as financing, policy, and technology integration.Outputs from this workshop will inform joint projects, investment strategies, and policy dialogues beyond the conference. Key insights and commitments–such as “One Action in 90 Days”–will be shared through post-event reports, WEFTEC, WEF and IWA networks, and digital platforms to catalyze global adoption of circular water practices. |
||
|
|
5:00-6:00 p.m. Happy hour Xylem booth |
Women in Water happy hour Xylem is honored to host a reception as part of the Women in Water Programme, which brings together women across the global water sector — utilities, research, engineering, policy, consulting, entrepreneurship, and community leadership — to share insights, strengthen networks, and shape a more inclusive water future. |
|
|
Time | Session | ||
|
|
9:45-10:15 a.m. Coffee break Xylem booth |
World Water Camp, Coffee break & presentation Presented by Alan Black (Xylem) |
||
|
|
10:30-11:15 a.m. Business Forum BF room 1 |
Harnessing generative AI to build climate-smart water utilities Presenters include Alexis de Kerchove (Xylem) and Oli Puckering (Xylem) This Business Forum explores how Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) can strengthen water infrastructure resilience amid climate change, aging assets, and workforce challenges. Bringing together experts in AI and water system management, the panel will highlight real-world applications, identify high-impact opportunities, and examine key risks and enablers for adoption across the water sector. Through an interactive discussion, participants will help shape practical ideas to support the safe, affordable integration of GenAI into utility operations. |
||
|
|
1:00-1:30 p.m. Presentation Digital Water Pavilion |
The digital reservoir: how EMASESA leveraged cyber-physical systems to optimize drinking water and wastewater management Speakers: Ruth Clarke, Head of Digital, UK&I, Xylem; Darío Mauriño Morales, Head of Cooperation, European Funding and Innovation, Environmental Division, EMASESA Join EMASESA, one of Europe’s leading water utilities and a candidate for the IWA Project Innovation Awards 2026, in its presentation of its Digital Reservoir, an innovative cyber-physical system transforming integrated water cycle management. The initiative combines the Xylem Vue platform, IoT, smart metering, data lakes, digital twins, and AI to enable predictive operations, reduce water losses, improve energy efficiency, and strengthen drought resilience. In this session, EMASESA will showcase how it is turning data into actionable intelligence while engaging citizens in sustainable water use. |
||
|
|
2:15-4:00 p.m. Emerging Water Leaders Forum Gala |
Emerging Water Leaders Forum | Session 2: Skills for impact: What does the water sector really need? Presenters include Emma Miller (Xylem) |
||
|
|
5:30-6:30 p.m. Young Water Professionals UK Pavilion |
Passion spotlight, Young Water Professionals Presenters include Yarik Zakharov (Xylem) |
||
|
|
6:00-7:00 p.m. Happy hour Xylem booth |
World Water Camp drinks reception Welcome remarks by Oli Puckering (Xylem) Xylem is pleased to host World Water Camp participants for a drinks reception and table discussions. |
|
|
Time | Session | ||
|
|
10:30-11:15 a.m. Business forum BF room 1 |
From solutions to scale at the UN Water Conference: Enabling non-revenue water reduction and industrial water reuse for a water-secure future. Presenters include Emma Miller (Xylem), Alexis de Kerchove (Xylem) This Business Forum will bring together leaders from government, utilities, industry, and civil society to explore how countries can accelerate progress toward SDG 6 while meeting growing water demand and supporting economic growth. Focusing on two high impact opportunities, reducing non-revenue water and scaling industrial water reuse, participants will examine why proven solutions remain underutilized and identify the policy, regulatory, financial, and institutional measures needed to drive broader adoption. Speakers will share practical approaches for Member States, including recommendations on measurement and target-setting, financing mechanisms, regulatory frameworks, workforce development, and public-private collaboration models. The discussion will highlight actionable pathways to strengthen water security, enhance resilience, and accelerate the deployment of innovative water technologies through cross-sector partnership. |
||
|
|
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Technical session Dochart 1 |
TS 1.7 Preventive asset management in wastewater applications Presenters include Alan Black (Xylem) Transforming wastewater pumping station operations in Scottish Water -- making smarter decisions through AI, data and insights |
||
|
|
1:30-3:00 p.m Workshop M1 |
OW. 6 What enables water innovation to scale? From pilots to systems change Chair: Megan Gerryts, Anna Huber Speakers: Christian Montag, Chengzi Chew, Jo Burgess, Alex Plant, Oli Puckering (Xylem) Water innovation is not constrained by technology, but by the enabling environments that determine whether solutions can scale. Fewer than 15% of water technology start-ups reach sustained commercial deployment, reflecting a persistent gap between pilot validation and full operational adoption (O’Callaghan, Buisman and Adapa, The Dynamics of Water Innovation, 2023). Fragmented governance, risk averse procurement systems and limited pathways for adoption continue to prevent solutions from being integrated into operational systems. This session responds by moving from high level system context to practical implementation. It begins by framing the broader water challenge and the gap between innovation and adoption, before grounding the discussion in the lived experience of innovators and building towards system level dialogue. In doing so, it creates a platform to identify what enables deployment in practice and what needs to change to move from pilots to scalable impact. |
||
|
|
5:15-6:00 p.m. Plenary panel Plenary room |
Young Water Professionals and the future skills needs of the water sector Moderated by Chiara Lucia Tregnago (Xylem) |
|
|
Time | Session | ||
|
|
9:45-10:15 a.m. Coffee break Xylem booth |
World Water Camp, coffee break & presentation Presented by Chris Dawson (Xylem) Open Catchment Intelligence: collaborating for the UK rivers |
||
|
|
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Workshop Gala |
OW.11 IWA Climate smart utilities 2026 recognition programme workshop Presenters include Alexis de Kerchove (Xylem) |
||
|
|
10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m. Technical session Boisdale 1 |
TS 3.13 Strategies and systems for potable reuse Presenters include Sandeep Bhatt (Xylem) Minworth Strategic Resource Option (SRO) - Transition from bench to pilot scale |
||
|
|
12:45-1:30 p.m. Networking reception UK Pavilion |
Passion for the water profession Presenters include Alexis de Kerchove |
||
|
|
12:15-12:45 p.m. Young Water Professionals IWA booth |
IWA Young Water Professional career pathways – Water in practice: How do water professionals build their careers? Presenters include Chiara Tregnago Lucia (Xylem) |
||
|
|
1:00-1:30 p.m. Presentation Digital Water Pavilion |
Open Catchment Intelligence: An open-source tool for collaborating on river health Presented by Chris Dawson (Xylem) |
||
|
|
3:15 p.m. Award recognition Plenary room |
Closing ceremony Presenters include Emma Miller (Xylem) The closing ceremony will feature recognition of the outstanding utilities involved in the Climate Smart Utilities program. |