Public works professionals willing to share their expertise and knowledge are invited to submit a proposal to speak at the 2009 APWA International Congress & Exposition to be held in Columbus, Ohio -- September 13-16, 2009.

SUBMIT ONLINE

It is a time of change. The first decade of the 21st century is coming to a close and scenarios -- that were not on anybody’s radar screen just a few short years ago -- are now a prime focus of public works professionals who are planning for the types of public works and infrastructure services needed to support 21st century culture, lifestyles, technologies, and challenges.

Help APWA develop a relevant and exciting education program for the 2009 Congress by sharing your vision for the future of public works and your trends- analysis and scenario-planning techniques, plus – contribute to the overall public works body of knowledge by sharing your expertise and real-world solutions. Submit a proposal now to speak at the 2009 Congress.

What are we looking for?

• Strategies for addressing public works’ response to emerging trends for the economy, society, climate change impacts, technological advances, population demographics, politics, etc.
• Practical and relevant tactics for dealing with the critical issues facing public works today
• Lessons learned and "how we did it" case studies

Possible topic areas: (Don’t feel limited by these suggestions; out-of-the-box thinking is encouraged!)

STATE OF THE ART OPERATIONS FOR ALL TYPES OF PUBLIC WORKS SERVICES

• ROADS, STREETS. BRIDGES (pavement performance and maintenance, work-zone safety, snow and ice control, etc.)
• TRAFFIC ENGINEERING (street, arterial, and intersection design, traffic calming, community mobility issues, etc.)
• RIGHT-OF-WAY ISSUES
• EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND PREPAREDNESS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY ISSUES
• WATER AND WASTEWATER SYSTEMS AND ISSUES
• STORMWATER MANAGEMENT, FLOOD AND EROSION CONTROL PRACTICES AND ISSUES
• FACILITIES MANAGEMENT (maintenance practices, inventory systems, condition assessments, green design, LEED certifications, public works yards construction and design, etc.)
• FLEET SERVICES AND MANAGEMENT (maintenance and replacement strategies, green fleet issues, emissions reduction, customer service, shop and parts management, etc.)
• URBAN FORESTRY (choosing and caring for trees and vegetation, sidewalk issues, tree replacement programs, recycling green waste, etc.)
• ENGINEERING (engineering practices and principles, technologies, etc.)
• CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT (project management, project delivery systems, bidding, contracting, etc.)
• SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT AND ISSUES

CURRENT AND EMERGING TRENDS

• ECONOMIC, SOCIETAL, TECHNOLOGY, AND DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS AND THEIR IMPACT ON THE PROVISION OF PUBLIC WORKS SERVICES
• AGING INFRASTRUCTURE
• SUSTAINABLE AND GREEN DESIGN
• SMART GROWTH
• LOW IMPACT DEVELOPMENT
• RENEWABLE ENERGY
• CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON INFRASTRUCTURE PLANNING
• EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY ISSUES
• WORKFORCE ISSUES (aging workforce; recruitment, retention, motivation, of new employees, etc.)
• EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES AND NEW USES FOR CURRENT TECHNOLOGIES

PUBLIC WORKS LEADERSHIP

• CORE VALUES AND COMPETENCIES OF THE BEST PUBLIC WORKS LEADERS
• VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC WORKS

THE BUSINESS SIDE OF PUBLIC WORKS

• PUBLIC/PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
• FINANCING PUBLIC PROJECTS AND IMPROVEMENTS
• BUDGETING
• COMMUNICATIONS WITH ELECTED OFFICIALS, RESIDENTS, EMPLOYEES
• MEDIA RELATIONS
• PUBLIC/COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

PERSONAL ENRICHMENT

• LIFE BALANCE
• STRESS MANAGEMENT
• GOAL SETTING AND ACCOMPLISHMENT
• CAREER PLANNING

Guidelines:

• Electronic Submissions Only – proposals submitted by fax or postal mail will not be accepted.
• Learning Objectives: All submissions must include three (3) learning objectives the complete the sentence: "After attending this session, participants will be able to: _____." The online form will require you to choose from a list of active verbs to begin each phrase that will help you clearly state what the learning outcomes will be for your audience.
• Session Length: Please indicate the expected length of your proposed session (50, 60, 75, 90, 120 minutes, 3-hour workshop). APWA will try to allocate to your session the requested number of minutes, however, due to space limitations and time constraints, we may be asking you to shorten your presentation or combine it with similar themed presentation submittals into a larger time block.
• Scheduling: Due to the complexity of determining topic placement, APWA is not able to accommodate specific time and date requests. Make sure that you and your other speakers will be able to present on any date assigned between September 13-16, 2009.
• The review committee’s first reading of your proposal is done in an anonymous format, so do NOT list your name or company name, within the Proposal Description text block. However, if your proposed session is about a specific public works project or public works department, it is okay to list the name of the municipality, agency, or project name within the description text.
• Commercial-free Zone: Direct promotions of a speaker’s or company’s products, services, or monetary self-interest are not appropriate as education sessions and do not meet the standards that APWA must meet for qualified continuing education. Case studies on product applications, systems or services, etc. should include presentations from the "user" agencies and organizations. The public works audience does not want to hear a "sales pitch" but they are receptive to hearing from other public works professionals about what works, new processes, etc.
• Registration fees and travel expenses: Speakers at APWA’s International Congress & Exposition are also considered attendees and are expected to pay their own travel expenses and registration fees. If, however, a speaker is only attending the 2009 Congress on the day that he/she is speaking, a one-day complimentary registration will be offered. Speakers attending the full Congress must pay the corresponding full member –or- nonmember registration fee.
• Paid professional trainers and speakers are welcome to use the Online Submission process but be sure to check the "paid speaker" box.

How are presentations selected?

• Relevance and clarity: Content is relevant to the 2009 Congress theme "Looking Forward" and will be useful to a significant number of attendees. Learning objectives are clearly stated using active verbs and describe exactly how the attendees would benefit from the information presented.
• Practical application: Presentation provides take-away knowledge that can be applied by participants in their day-to-day work settings; tips and strategies are provided that will help participants get started on implementation and replicate program components and successes.
• Leading edge innovation: Presentation addresses new ways of thinking, emerging trends, innovative strategies and methodologies.

Also, the review committee is charged with creating a balanced program that involves a representative number of sessions about the various public works disciplines and will be making their choices accordingly.

Submitting your proposal is easy!

Deadline: Submit your proposal by September 30, 2008.