“Where innovation meets conversation, and conversation becomes progress, the future of utilities is not built online alone, it is built face to face.” – MJ Martin
The Shift from Virtual to Physical
For much of the past decade, virtual tools reshaped how the utility industry connected. Webinars, remote demonstrations, and online forums proved effective for knowledge transfer. However, they exposed a limitation. They do not replicate the depth of trust, spontaneity, and technical validation that occur when people meet in person.
In utility sectors such as water, gas, and electricity, where infrastructure decisions carry long lifecycles and regulatory scrutiny, that distinction matters. The current resurgence of conferences reflects a recognition that some forms of collaboration simply perform better in physical environments.
Evidence from Canadian Water Conferences
The momentum is clearly visible in major Canadian water events. The BC Water & Waste Association conference in Penticton is expected to draw more than 1,000 attendees, with some estimates exceeding 1,200 delegates and exhibitors, alongside over 100 technical sessions and a large trade show floor. This is not a marginal recovery. It represents full-scale engagement across operators, engineers, regulators, and vendors.
Likewise, the Ontario Water Works Association’s NextWave conference in Niagara Falls in early May brings together over 1,000 delegates and more than 100 exhibitors. The structure of the event is instructive. It blends technical content with extensive networking and social programming, reinforcing that the primary value is interaction, not just information.
On the ground, the behaviour is consistent. Operators want to physically inspect meters, endpoints, and network equipment. Engineers want direct dialogue on system performance. Vendors want real-time feedback from Canadian utilities dealing with frost conditions, rural communications, and aging infrastructure. These are tactile, situational discussions that do not translate well to virtual formats.
Gas Utility Example: FedGas in Edmonton
The resurgence is equally evident in the gas sector. The FedGas conference held in Edmonton last November brought together distribution utilities, regulators, and solution providers focused on safety, compliance, and modernization of gas infrastructure.
What stood out was not just attendance, but engagement quality. Gas utilities are navigating Measurement Canada requirements, methane reduction targets, and asset renewal cycles. These are complex, interdependent challenges. At FedGas, the value was in corridor conversations, peer-to-peer exchanges, and direct engagement with equipment providers.
This reinforces a broader pattern. In sectors where safety and compliance are paramount, in-person dialogue is not optional. It is foundational.
Municipal and Policy Layer: SUMA in Regina
At the municipal level, the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association conference in Regina last week demonstrated similar strength. These events operate less as technical forums and more as policy and funding ecosystems.
Municipal leaders, administrators, and provincial stakeholders gather to align on infrastructure priorities, grant programs, and regulatory direction. The decisions made in these rooms directly influence capital allocation for water, gas, and electric utilities.
Virtual meetings can support these discussions, but they lack the immediacy and nuance required for negotiation and consensus building. SUMA’s continued strong participation reflects that reality.
Electricity Sector: Electricity Canada Events
The electric utility sector provides another important signal. Events hosted by Electricity Canada continue to attract senior leadership from utilities across the country. These conferences focus on grid modernization, electrification, distributed energy resources, and resilience.
Electric utilities are currently undergoing one of the most significant transformations in their history. Topics such as AMI 2.0, demand response, and integration of renewables require cross-functional coordination between utilities, regulators, and technology providers.
These are not transactional conversations. They are strategic, multi-year discussions. In-person conferences provide the environment needed to align stakeholders, test ideas, and build consensus.
What Is Really Driving the Comeback
It would be easy to attribute this resurgence to reduced Canadian travel into the United States. That factor is real and has redirected some attendance domestically. However, it is not the primary driver.
What is happening is more structural. Organizations are becoming selective. They are attending fewer events, but investing more deeply in those they choose. Conferences that deliver high-value interaction, hands-on exposure, and meaningful networking are thriving.
Events like BCWWA, OWWA, FedGas, SUMA, and Electricity Canada are succeeding because they sit at the intersection of technology, policy, and operations. They bring together the full ecosystem required to move projects forward.
A More Strategic Future
Conferences are not simply returning to their previous form. They are evolving into higher-value, more intentional platforms.
For organizations like Metercor, this shift is significant. These events are no longer optional marketing exercises. They are critical environments for relationship development, technical validation, and strategic positioning within the Canadian utility landscape.
The conclusion is precise. Conventions and conferences are making a comeback, but not as they once were. They are fewer, more focused, and far more impactful.
About the Author:
Michael Martin is the Vice President of Technology with Metercor Inc., a Smart Meter, IoT, and Smart City systems integrator based in Canada. He has more than 40 years of experience in systems design for applications that use broadband networks, optical fibre, wireless, and digital communications technologies. He is a business and technology consultant. He was a senior executive consultant for 15 years with IBM, where he worked in the GBS Global Center of Competency for Energy and Utilities and the GTS Global Center of Excellence for Energy and Utilities. He is a founding partner and President of MICAN Communications and before that was President of Comlink Systems Limited and Ensat Broadcast Services, Inc., both divisions of Cygnal Technologies Corporation (CYN: TSX).
Martin served on the Board of Directors for TeraGo Inc (TGO: TSX) and on the Board of Directors for Avante Logixx Inc. (XX: TSX.V). He has served as a Member, SCC ISO-IEC JTC 1/SC-41 – Internet of Things and related technologies, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and as a member of the NIST SP 500-325 Fog Computing Conceptual Model, National Institute of Standards and Technology. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) [now Ontario Tech University] and on the Board of Advisers of five different Colleges in Ontario – Centennial College, Humber College, George Brown College, Durham College, Ryerson Polytechnic University [now Toronto Metropolitan University]. For 16 years he served on the Board of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Toronto Section.
He holds three master’s degrees – in business (MBA), communication (MA), and education (MEd). As well, he has three undergraduate diplomas and seven certifications in business, computer programming, internetworking, project management, media, photography, and communication technology. He has completed over 80 next generation MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) [aka Micro Learning] continuous education programs in a wide variety of topics, including: Economics, Python Programming, Internet of Things, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive systems, Blockchain, Agile, Big Data, Design Thinking, Security, Indigenous Canada awareness, and more.