The 2014 PMI Spring Conference will be held March 2-5 at Charleston Place in Charleston, South Carolina. PMI welcomes you to join us for an engaging and exciting conference in one of the country’s oldest and most welcoming cities. Well known for its history and hospitality, Charleston is an ideal place to host our event which will focus on filling information gaps and coming together to address the issues and concerns of the day. Join us in ‘Making a World of Difference!’

The 2014 Spring Conference will kick off on Sunday, March 2 with a Welcome Reception and Networking Event, followed on Monday morning by an Opening Address from Dr. Marc Edwards, noted Environmental Engineer and bio-physicist. Time Magazine has referred to Dr. Edwards as “The Plumbing Professor” and listed him as one of the four most important ‘Innovators’ in water from around the world.

The Fair Trade Committee will feature presentations from Salim Bhabhrawala, Senior Trade Specialist from the US Department of Commerce, on plumbing industry trade issues and Ralph Suppa, President and General Manager, Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH) with John Walter, CEO of Standards Council of Canada (SCC) on the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) and its efforts to streamline standards harmonization.

John Mesenbrink, President of MechanicalHub.com, will address the Water Efficiency and Sustainability Issues Committee with a presentation on Net-Zero Buildings; followed by Mary Ann Dickinson, President of the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), who will speak to the Water/Energy Nexus.

Monday will conclude with a tour of the H.L. Hunley the world’s first successful combat submarine, which mysteriously sank during the Civil War and has recently been rediscovered and opened for tours, followed by a Dine Around Charleston event. Don’t miss this fascinating testament to ingenuity, engineering and American history.

Tuesday, March 4, will begin with dual meeting tracks for the Advocacy/Outreach Council and the Technical Council.

We will build on the success of previous sessions with the next stage in our “How Low Can We Go?” series by identifying research needs to fill information gaps in order to address the “How Do We Know?” question. We will also address the theme “Drips to Gallons” to outline the best ways to maximize water efficiency for increased savings. We encourage you to make sure that more than one representative from your company attends the Spring Conference to take part in each track of this popular series.

Tuesday’s sessions will also feature an update on the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) Green Plumbing and Mechanical Code Supplement by Pete DeMarco, Senior Director of Special Programs for IAPMO, as well as the International Green Construction Code by Steve Thorsell, Program Coordinator for Environmental Programs for the International Code Council (ICC-ES). The day will end with a reception and dinner with entertainment by corporate entertainment personality Greg Schwem.

Wednesday, March 5, will begin with a presentation from Kanwal Oberoi, Commissioner of Public Works, Charleston Water Systems, entitled “Charleston Water System - Past, Present and Future” addressing the challenges of ensuring safe distribution and sanitation of water in the face of a crumbling infrastructure. The conference will then conclude with a preview of the PMI Codes and Standards Workshop by Len Swatkowski, Technical Director, PMI.

Registration is available on the PMI website here along with full conference details and schedule. Keep watch on the website and mobile app for more details as we get closer to the event. The PMI mobile app is available in both Apple and Google Play stores; direct links can be found on the PMI homepage.

Please note the registration deadline for both the meeting and the hotel is February 3rd.

 Conference registration cancellations after February 17 are not eligible for refunds.