LAS VEGAS – Nearly 900 participants from more than 30 states and nine foreign nations participated in the 4th Annual WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition, held Oct. 5-7 in Las Vegas.

With nearly 120 professional sessions, panel discussions and pre-conference workshops, and an expo hall highlighting products and services from more than 40 exhibitors from around the world, WSI served as a one-stop shop for water-efficiency professionals working in a wide range of disciplines, said WSI Program Chairman Doug Bennett.

"This is the only event on urban water efficiency that brings together different disciplines," Bennett said. "The diversity of perspectives makes for energetic collaboration."

The conference also featured keynote addresses Oct. 5 by Brian Richter, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Freshwater Program, and Oct. 6 by Charles Fishman, investigative journalist and author of “The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water.”

Technical tours to Hoover Dam, the Springs Preserve and The Venetian Resort highlighted Southern Nevada's water-efficiency practices and water resources.

Reflecting the conference’s international scope, participants came to WSI 2011 from across the United States, as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Israel, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

The fifth WSI conference and expo is slated for Oct. 3-5, 2012, at the South Point Hotel and Conference Center. The deadline for submitting abstracts is Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. More information is available at www.WaterSmartInnovations.com.

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