Sales Workshop at GeoAmericas 2016

Instructor: GARY ROSS
Oldcastle APG
Wednesday, 13 April 2016 – 10:15 am – 1:15pm
“Smart Prospecting, Simplified”

When planning your staff travel, please consider which members would benefit from this complimentary, 3-hour sales workshop held immediately after the close of the exhibition.

GeoAmericas 2016 is proud to present a bonus session for exhibitors! Attend a 3-hour sales workshop led by Gary Ross, to be held immediately after the close of the exhibit hall.

ross-gary_Head137x168Gary Ross is the Director of Sales Training & Coaching and is a Motivational Speaker for Oldcastle APG. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Resource Management from Palm Beach Atlantic University, and earned his certificate in Supervisory Development from the University of Notre Dame.

Prior to his role as Director of Sales Training & Coaching, Gary was the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Coastal, an Oldcastle Company based in Florida. He has over 38 years of sales experience including 13 years in Sales Management.

Gary resides in West Palm Beach, Florida with his wife, Daryl.

The Sales Workshop – “Smart Prospecting, Simplified” will focus on:

  1. Developing a better message to get your prospect to call you back and schedule an appointment
  2. The importance of being relentless in your follow up
  3. The idea to Probe more, pitch less
  4. The value of making one more sales call and who you should target

Full information on GeoAmericas 2016, including registration, venue, and social/networking opportunities can be found at www.GeoAmericas2016.org.
 

LEARN MORE ABOUT WORKSHOP

 
geoamericas2016_logo_withtag_lg_4c
Full information on GeoAmericas 2016, including registration, venue, and social/networking opportunities can be found at www.GeoAmericas2016.org.

GeoAmericas 2016 Registration Opens

geoamericas2016_logo_withtag_lg_4cGeoAmericas 2016, the 3rd Pan-American Conference on Geosynthetics, has been years in the making. After successful iterations in Mexico (2008) and Peru (2012), the Americas-uniting geotechnical conference returns. Organizers have announced the opening of the GeoAmericas 2016 registration.

REGISTER ONLINE

The event has already sold out the exhibit hall and the organizers have added extra rooms to the pre-conference room block to handle the early surge of bookings for exhibitors, attendees, and industry organizations intending to arrive early for meetings and personal time in Miami.
 

EVENT VENUE

The official hotel is the Loews Miami Beach Hotel and Resort All conference activities will take place at the Loews.

Attendees and exhibitors should be award of hotel room-booking scams that target conference goers. Please book your accommodations directly online–the Loews link on the previous line takes you directly to the special rate code–or call the hotel directly.
 

HIGHLIGHTS OF GEOAMERICAS 2016

  • 13 short courses, including English and Spanish-language offerings. Topics include heap leach design, geosynthetic-reinforced soil in bridge construction, CQA, geomembranes in oil and gas operations, and more. Short courses are held on April 10 (Sunday) and will be followed by the official opening of the conference with a keynote address and an exhibit hall reception. Learn more about the short courses.
  • 49 technical sessions, including training lectures from renowned experts; paper-driven technical sessions; and panel discussions on field-shaping topics (e.g., growth of geosynthetics in Latin America, predicting end of geomembrane service life)
  • Special technical sessions will include coastal protection, sustainability, Best Journal Papers, and Student Awards
  • Keynote Lectures from Dr. Robert Koerner, P.E. (Geosynthetic Institute); Dale Morris, Sr. Economic Adviser from the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington DC and Nathalie Olijslager-Jaarsma, Kingdom of the Netherlands Consul General (Miami); and the Mercer Lecture with Dr. Jorge Zornberg, P.E. (IGS Immediate Past President, University of Texas at Austin)
  • Industry meetings involving International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Technical Committees, FedIGS, GMA, GSI, FGI, IAGI, and ECTC.
  • Opportunities for young engineers, including the IGS Young Members  program with a pre-conference GeoPrediction competition, a digital scavenger hunt during the conference, a panel discussion with industry leaders, and a beach volleyball social event.
  • Social programming and companion program including Exhibit Hall Opening Reception (Sunday evening, April 10), beach volleyball (Monday evening, April 11), and Havana Nights social event (Tuesday evening, April 12). Additional companion program events include an Everglades Adventure, an Art Deco District Walk, and a trip to the Villa Vizcaya.

 

MAJOR SPONSORS

  • HUESKER (Platinum)
  • Solmax (Platinum)
  • TMP (Gold)
  • Tencate (Silver)
  • TRI Environmental (Silver)

 
In addition to the support for the conference, sponsors are also contributing to a unique construction project in Charlier, Haiti.

GEOAMERICAS 2016 REGISTRATION

www.GeoAmericas2016.org

GeoAmericas 2016 Exhibition & Sponsorship Open!

geoamericas2016_logo_withtag_lg_4cGeoAmericas2016_LowesHotel_450wThe GeoAmericas 2016 Organizing Committee and its host chapter, the North American Geosynthetics Society, invite you to join us at 2016’s most vibrant geosynthetics event!

  • 95 Booth Spaces
  • Multiple Sponsorship Options
  • Location Central to the Americas
  • 50 90-Minute Sessions
  • 56 hours of Short Course Programming
  • Much more…

DOWNLOAD EXHIBIT / SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE (PDF)

Reserve Your Space

GeoAmericas 2016 is the 3rd Pan-American Conference on Geosynthetics. Professionals from throughout the Americas will gather in Miami for technology transfer, networking, and project planning in key sectors such as mining, water resources, roadway infrastructure, waste management, and environmental protection.

The pre-sale period for booths and sponsorships has concluded, so booth and sponsorship positions are now open for reservation by the larger geotechnical engineering community. We invite you to review the Exhibition and Sponsorship Brochure (PDF) and online reservation information.

Strengthen Your Business

International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) Corporate Members enjoy a substantial discount on booths. Non-members can capitalize too. Join the IGS and immediately enjoy a number of high-level benefits on GeoAmericas conference participation, as well as benefit from membership before and after the event.

We welcome your questions, we encourage your interaction, and we look forward to working with you to make this an outstanding event and a key part of your near- and long-term business development.

See you in Miami!

John Henderson, Exhibits & Sponsorship Co-Chair
Peter Passarelli, Exhibits & Sponsorship Co-Chair

DOWNLOAD EXHIBIT / SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE (PDF)

For Questions or More Information Please Contact
Becky Slaybaugh, Executive Admin | BSlaybaugh@Minervatri.com
Elizabeth Peggs, Co-Secretary General | EPeggs@Minervatri.com
TEL: +1.561.768.9487
(-5 GMT)

LEARN MORE AT WWW.GEOAMERICAS2016.ORG

GeoAmericas 2016 Opens Booth and Sponsorship Pre-Sale

geoamericas2016_logo_withtag_lg_4cGeoAmericas2016_LowesHotel_450w

Corporate members of the International Geosynthetics Society (IGS) have an exclusive 21-day window in which to file exhibit hall booth and conference sponsorship requests for GeoAmericas 2016. The quadrennial event, which is the 3rd Pan-American Conference on Geosynthetics, will be held 10 – 13 April 2016 in Miami. The deadline for IGS Corporate Members to make their pre-sale selections is May 14.

DOWNLOAD EXHIBIT / SPONSORSHIP BROCHURE (PDF)

After the deadline passes, sales for booths and sponsorships will be extended to the full geotechnical community.

IGS Corporate Members are strongly encouraged to make sure their teams have the exhibitor and sponsorship brochure. The offer has been issued to all IGS Corporate Members, but the main contact for the IGS might not be the office responsible for booking space at an event in the Americas.

Download the brochure with the link above and share with your team.

UNIQUE SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

The sustainability mission of GeoAmericas 2016 has received great support already, with a number of companies contributing ideas based on their event experience for how to improve the conference experience and sustainability performance.

Electronic sharing of information will be emphasized, with tools such as an event web app to aid in connecting attendees and companies and giving exhibitors a convenient way to share information without attendees needing to lug 25 lbs of paper home with them.

The lanyards for the event—a sponsored item—will not be the traditional corporate branded item. Rather, GeoAmericas 2016 will put lanyard sponsorship on the badges and instead of a traditional lanyard will use the sponsorship money to acquire handmade necklaces from a small business in Haiti. These necklaces will subsequently be able to be reused or gifted by attendees.

Haiti is integrally tied to the event. A school and orphanage construction project is being partially funded directly by the three tiers of major sponsorships (Silver, Gold, and Platinum). Geosynthetics are being used in the work in Charlier, Haiti, and sponsor companies will be invited to join the crew on site as well as have promotional access to the video of the work that will be shot.

Additional exhibit and sponsorship notes that will interest participating companies:

  • There will be a sponsored cocktail reception in the exhibit hall on the opening night
  • Coffee breaks will be held in the exhibit hall
  • A closing day breakfast will be held in the exhibit hall
  • A room key card sponsorship is available

Download the exhibitor and sponsorship pre-sale brochure to find out the full range of advertising, exhibit booth, and sponsorship opportunities.

NOTE: Non-IGS Corporate Members should view this brochure too. You might still file your requests (or join IGS immediately and secure benefits such as 20% break on booth costs). By the IGS bylaws, preference is given in this exclusive sale window to IGS Corporate Members; but as of May 15, it will be open. The Pre-Sale brochure include a box to check for not being a corporate member.

BECOME A CORPORATE MEMBER OF THE IGS TODAY

GREAT RESPONSE TO DATE

Significant interest in booth and sponsorship selection was reported by the conference organizers in the week leading up to the release of the pre-sale brochure.

Also, the abstracts submission period closed April 10 with hundreds of submissions and contributions from more than 40 countries.

A date to mark on the calendar is May 15. General attendee registration and non-IGS member booth and sponsorship purchases will be available from then on.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.GEOAMERICAS2016.ORG

Educate the Educators – Call for Applications

  199_PhotoAward2014_honorablemention_w500Too many engineers enter the field without state-of-the-art geotechnical knowledge, because their formal schooling overlooks a key piece of modern practice: geosynthetics.

Let the geosynthetics community provide resources to teach your students about geosynthetics.

Geosynthetics were the only new class of construction materials developed in the 20th century. Over the past 40 years, they have become fully integrated into all areas of environmental and civil infrastructure design and execution. Their cost-effective, environmentally strong performance has been well documented. In some cases, federal regulations even require their use (e.g., waste management). Today, every major engineering firm has designated geosynthetic experts on staff.   Yet, geosynthetics are taught in less than 45 engineering programs in North American colleges and universities. This has produced an enormous knowledge gap.

Multiple geotechnical and geosynthetics professional societies and organizations are joining together to sponsor a geosynthetics education program specific to supporting educators. “Educate the Educators: A Geosynthetics Training Program for University Professors” will be held 28 – 29 July 2015 in Austin, Texas. This program will provide core geosynthetic content, background information, and materials for use in the classroom so that participants may include geosynthetics in their engineering curricula.  The event presents a single 50-minute class on geosynthetics for the undergraduate level; but it also provides a framework for additional class content and resources up to and including a graduate-level class on geosynthetics.

Please apply on line at: http://www.ifai.com/forms/educatetheeducators

The sessions will be led by Dr. Richard Brachman of Queen’s University, Dr. Jorge Zornberg of The University of Texas at Austin, and field veteran Barry Christopher.

This is a non-commercial event being conducted under the auspices of the IGS North America and created by the International Geosynthetics Society , and supported by the Geosynthetic Institute, the Geosynthetic Materials Association, and other industry groups and companies.

There are approximately 40 seats in the course. Successful applicants will be provided with hotel, meals, and transportation in Austin. Successful applicants will need only to fund their travel to Austin.

183_PhotoAward2014_thirdplace_w500When: 28 – 29 July 2015    Where: Austin, Texas

In applying for participation, please include:

  • Copy of CV with publications, papers, etc.
  • A short commentary on how you can include this content in your institution’s engineering curricula
  • List of courses for which you are responsible

Applicants will be notified of their enrollment status during the second week in June. Priority will be given to those individuals judged to have influence over the content of the programs at their respective institutions.

APPLY ONLINE TO PARTICIPATE

Please apply today.  We encourage you to spread the word on this program to your colleagues in education. Spaces are limited, so act promptly. Please contact me using the information below if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Boyd Ramsey

Chief Engineer – GSE Environmental LLC
GMA Chairman
IGS Council Member

Co-Chair IGS Technical Committee on Barriers
Co-Chair IGS North America Educate the Educators Program

BRamsey@GSEworld.com

+1.281.797.6183

NAGS Announces their Biennial Meeting

Announcing the NAGS – North American Geosynthetics Society – Biennial Meeting in conjunction with the Geosynthetics 2015 Conference
When: 6 – 7 pm Monday, February 16, 2015
Where: Room E148 of the Convention Center (Note the change in room from the original announcement sent by e-mail.)

  • Come meet the 2015-2017 Board of Directors
  • Help recognize the outgoing Board members
  • Help us look ahead
  • and take a brief look back over the past two years

See you at the Meeting!
geosynthetics2015Conflogo

Visit Conference Website

Geosynthetics 2015 ‘Call For Abstracts’

Geo2015

Online Abstracts are now being accepted for Geosynthetics 2015, a geosynthetics conference coming February 15–18 to Portland, Oregon in 2015.

Event: Geosynthetics 2015
Date: February 15–18
Location: Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon

GEOSYNTHETICS: ADVANCES AND INNOVATION
The theme of Geosynthetics 2015 is Advances and Innovation. The conference will feature four days of technical programming, including short courses, panel discussions and papers. For the first time ever, Geosynthetics will be co-locating with International Erosion Control Agency’s Environmental Connections 2015 conference. The conferences will feature a shared exhibit floor while maintaining separate technical programs.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
This Call for Abstracts is issued to create a comprehensive, varied, and exciting Technical Paper Program. Submit your 200-300 word abstract by April 15 and become part of Geosynthetics 2015. Abstracts are being accepted on any topic relevant to the event. Please click here for the current list of proposed sessions and general topics.

All submissions will be peer reviewed at each step including the abstract, first draft and final paper submissions. At least one author from each accepted final paper must register and present the paper during the conference.

Abstract Submission Timeline
Abstracts due: April 15, 2014
Acceptance notification: May 15, 2014

Click For Abstract Details

We look forward to receiving your proposal.

Technical Program Co-Chairs:

James McKelvey III, P.E.
Earth Engineering Inc.
JayM@EarthEngineering.com

John McCartney Ph.D., P.E.
University of Colorado at Boulder
john.mccartney@colorado.edu

Secretary General: Barbara Connett
Geosynthetics 2015
651 225 6914 * 800 486 3980
bjconnett@ifai.com

Geosynthetics 2015 is organized by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) and the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), and supported by the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS).

Click For More Conference Details

Geosynthetics 2015 ‘Call for Proposals’

Geo2015

Online proposals are now being accepted for Geosynthetics 2015, a geosynthetics conference coming February 15–18 to Portland, Oregon in 2015.

Event: Geosynthetics 2015
Date: February 15–18
Location: Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon

CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS
The Call for Session Proposals is your opportunity to be a Session Chair for the topic of your choice during Geosynthetics 2015.

Session formats include technical paper sessions, invited paper sessions and panel discussions. All technical paper sessions will be 90 minutes in length. Multiple sessions with a related theme are possible. Submission should include a description of the proposed topic, and any plans outside of the call for abstracts for soliciting papers.

All abstracts and papers (including invited papers) are subject to the official Geosynthetics 2015 review process.

Submit your Session Proposal online by Jan 31, 2013 and become a part of Geosynthetics 2015.
Session Proposal Submission Timeline
Proposals due: January 31, 2014
Acceptance notification: February 15, 2014

CALL FOR SHORT COURSES PROPOSALS
Geosynthetics 2015 is committed to providing continuing education opportunities for participants. Short Courses can be a half day to a full day long and will be held prior to Geosynthetics 2015.

Proposals should include the course title, a description of the course with a summary of its learning objectives and a list of instructors.

Submit Short Course Proposals online by Feb. 28, 2014.
Short Course Proposal Submission Timeline
Proposals due: February 28, 2014
Acceptance notification: March 31, 2014

CALL FOR PRACTICAL LEARNING WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
One of the goals of Geosynthetics 2015 is to reach out to industry landscape architects, engineers, installers, specifiers and others that are not familiar with the use of Geosynthetics. To that end we will be offering special sessions focusing on the “basics” of geosynthetics and practical “how -to” techniques that include planning, design, and /or construction. These sessions will be held during the conference and should be 2 – 4 hours in length. Where appropriate these workshops may be repeated during the program.

Proposals should include the workshop title, a description of the course with a summary of its learning objectives and a list of instructors.

Submit Practical Learning Workshop Proposals online by Feb. 28, 2014.
Practical Learning Workshop Proposal Submission Timeline
Proposals due: February 28, 2014
Acceptance notification: March 31, 2014

Click For Proposals Details

We look forward to receiving your proposal.

Technical Program Co-Chairs:

James McKelvey III, P.E.
Earth Engineering Inc.
JayM@EarthEngineering.com

John McCartney Ph.D., P.E.
University of Colorado at Boulder
john.mccartney@colorado.edu

Secretary General: Barbara Connett
Geosynthetics 2015
651 225 6914 * 800 486 3980
bjconnett@ifai.com

Geosynthetics 2015 is organized by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) and the Geosynthetic Materials Association (GMA), and supported by the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS).

Click For More Conference Details

GeoMontreal 2013 – Conference Report by Richard Bathurst

GeoMontreal - Dr. Richard Bathurst & Dr. Michael Heibaum GeoMontreal was held 29 September to 3 October 2013 in beautiful downtown Montreal. The conference was a joint conference of the Canadian Geotechnical Society, the North American Geosynthetics Society (NAGS) and the Canadian Chapter of the International Association of Hydrogeologists.

The conference attracted over 875 delegates and 57 exhibitors. A total of 348 oral presentations were given in 7 parallel sessions over three days. Another 30 papers were delivered in a poster session. The technical program was very broad as a result of the three-society partnership.

Dr. Michael Heibaum gave the Mercer Lecture at the morning Plenary Session on the second day of the conference. His talk was titled “Geosynthetics for Waterways and Flood Protection Structures – Controlling the Interaction of Water and Soil”. There were four geosynthetics sessions: Wall Reinforcement; Landfills and Mining Operations; Environmental and Transportation, and Drainage and Filtration – for a total of 27 papers.

One of the social highlights of the conferences was “Colour Night” which was a heavenly experience as can be seen in the photograph.

Shown on the left is Dr. Michael Heibaum the Mercer Lecturer and joining him is Dr. Richard Bathurst, a past Mercer Lecturer and past-President of NAGS and IGS, and currently President of the Canadian Geotechnical Society.