The ISTT’s 32nd annual International No-Dig Conference & Exhibition was held for the first time in Spain, this year. Hosted by the Iberian Society for Trenchless Technology (IbSTT), the event was held at the prestigious IFEMA Convention Centre in Madrid.

The event proved to be a success with 325 delegates from 29 countries attending. The Conference programme featured 70 peer reviewed papers, presented by international experts from 20 countries on topics of trenchless research, techniques and case studies on both rehabilitation and new installation.

The first two days featured papers presented in English, while the third day was dedicated to papers delivered in Spanish. Delegates heard from Ms Liana Ardiles, Director General of the Ministry of Water Agriculture, Food and Environment and in her address, she recognised the Iberian region’s 20 year history of using trenchless technology and stressed the importance of utilising the technology to reduce traffic disruption, particularly in cities.

In addition to the delegates, more than 1,000 visitors attended the three day exhibition from 32 countries. A wide range of products, from more than 80 companies showcasing products and services from around the world, was on display. In addition to the National Pavilions presented by Spain and Germany, exhibitors came from the UK, USA, Russia, Australia, China, Italy and Denmark.

Headlining the event sponsorship was Catalana de Perforacion, a leading trenchless technology contractor based in Barcelona. Gold sponsorship was supported by Insituform and Vermeer. In addition, Silver sponsors were Aqualogy and Hobas and Grupo AAB, Bronze sponsors.

The conference also featured the annual ISTT awards, and some of the winners and awards included:

• Mr Taigo Matsui – The Lifetime Service Award in recognition of his service in the advancement of trenchless technology in Japan and nearby regions of the world, and for his leadership as a part of the JSTT and ISTT management teams in the early 2000s.
• Dr Fuming Wang – The 2014 Academic Research Award
• CatSurveys – The 2014 Product for their Mobile Ground Penetrating Radar
• Visser & Smit Hanab – The New installation Project Award for their Pre-Bent Drilling: A New Application of HDD
• UKDN Waterflow – The Rehabilitation Project Award for the protective structural lining of Ham Sewer

The IbSTT also made awards to four members in categories to recognise their contribution to the industry in the Iberian market.

Next year’s ISTT International No-Dig Conference will be held in Istanbul, 28-30 September 2015.