Black & Veatch held a dinner dialogue focused on the topic of “Economic Pressures: How are we adapting and leading in difficult times?” on 9 May 2011 during OzWater11 in Adelaide, Australia. The 17 attendees came from six countries – Australia, Ireland, The Netherlands, Singapore, the UK and the US. Four Australian states were also represented from the Australian participants.
Although those who took part in the dinner dialogue came from a variety of backgrounds, some common themes emerged. Similar to the findings from roundtable sessions previously held in New Orleans, Louisiana; Washington, D.C.; and Berlin, Germany, participants in this roundtable dialogue said that they now were being asked to “do more with less” as a way of adapting to the tougher economic times.
“You add water price increases on top of everything else, and the politicians and the public are going to say, ‘Well, this is going to stop.’” Ozwater ParticipantThis session focused on:
- New paradigms and new pressures
- Paradoxical business model
- Energy costs for water
- Optimizing water resources
- Setting up a water market
- Regional vs. Local
- Innovation in business models and technology
- A solutions mindset
- The people part of the solution
