NASTT 2024 No-Dig Show Lands in Providence
After a successful 2023 event in Portland, Oregon, the NASTT No-Dig Show is heading to the opposite side of the continent for 2024. This annual convergence of the worldwide trenchless community takes place April 14-18 at the Rhode Island Convention Center, in Providence, Rhode Island.
The NASTT 2024 No-Dig Show, the largest trenchless-focused conference in the world, will once again feature a full slate of educational, exhibiting and networking opportunities for those who attend.
The 2024 conference and exhibition is a high-quality combination of education and innovation. This year’s show features more than 140 exhibiting companies on the tradeshow floor, giving attendees ample opportunities to check out the latest technologies and products the industry has to offer.
The conference portion features peer-reviewed technical papers and panel discussions via six industry track sessions focused on both installation and rehabilitation that spans the three days of the show. New for 2024 is a track focused on renewables.
Morning and afternoon sessions will give attendees a chance to attend several different sessions. The technical presentations are always a feature of the No-Dig Show and this year’s presentations focus on a diverse range of trenchless topics, including horizontal directional drilling, cured-in-place pipe (CIPP), microtunneling, inspection, case histories, asset management, pipe jacking and ramming, water and sewer rehabilitation, project planning, inspection and trenchless research.
Download the mobile app at the Apple Store or Google Play and have access to the current Session Schedule during the show.
Also, check out the 2023 Trenchless Technology Projects of the Year winners’ session in Ballroom B at 3:30 p.m. on Monday, April 15; Moderated by Trenchless Technology editors Sharon M. Bueno and Mike Kezdi, the architects of the winning projects will discuss the challenges they faced and how they solved them, as well as field questions from those in the session.
Although the No-Dig show is the conduit to promote and advance the trenchless marketplace through education and exhibits, there’s also the social aspect of the conference that fosters networking opportunities for attendees, as well as just some fun and good times.
No-Dig Show Opening Breakfast
Start the week off with the Opening Breakfast, sponsored by Trenchless Technology magazine and Jacobs, on Monday, April 15. Trenchless Technology will also formally honor its 2023 Trenchless Technology Project of the Year New Installation and Rehabilitation winners and Craig Vandaelle, the 2024 Trenchless Technology Person of the Year. NASTT will spotlight sponsors, NASTT board members, Municipal Scholarship recipients, as well as its Ralston Award for Young Trenchless Achievement and the NASTT Volunteer Award recipients.
Entertainment at the breakfast will be provided by Dana Daniels. Daniels keeps the laughs going at a speedy clip using his trusty side kick Luigi the Psychic Parrot. Yes, a psychic parrot! In-between Daniels’ sight gags, he sets out to prove that Luigi is truly clairvoyant. Together, they perform such miracles as finding chosen cards, reading the mind of somebody on a cell phone and turning an audience member’s $100 bill into bird food only to have it reappear inside an egg laid by Luigi (Tough trick for a male bird). Daniels takes command with a style and confidence that puts the audience at ease. His clever audience participation and an undeniably magnetic personable connection have given him wide appeal.
NASTT Educational Fund Auction
At the conclusion of the April 15 technical sessions, join fellow attendees in the Ballroom A for NASTT’s Annual Educational Fund Auction from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The auction is sponsored by Bennett Trenchless Engineers and GHD.
Since 2002, NASTT has raised more than $1.2 million and used those funds in support of our many educational initiatives. NASTT can provide targeted trenchless training courses to the industry, publish trenchless resources manuals and sponsor university students’ attendance at NASTT’s No-Dig Shows, as well as award scholarships.
NASTT Honors Brian Dorwart
New for 2023 was the Casino Royale party and the response was overwhelming. So much so that Casino Royale returns for 2024. Taking place on Tuesday, April 16, from 6 to 10 p.m., the tickets event serves as a chance to honor the NASTT Chair Award for Distinguished Service recipient and the 2025 NASTT Hall of Fame inductee. The 2024 class features Brian Dorwart, P.E., P.G., trenchless specialist at Brierly Associates.
Dorwart started in the construction industry in 1972 as a geologist, geotechnical exploration driller, and construction technician in Rochester, New York. Always striving to learn more, in 1979, Brian graduated with a master’s degree in civil engineering and immediately started work with a geotechnical engineering firm. His engineering experience has included construction, technical analyses, and management of projects involving geology, geotechnical engineering, underground construction, and geotechnical instrumentation. He has provided expertise on projects ranging from heavy construction of pipelines, tunnels, dams, and highways to light industrial buildings and dynamic machine foundations, but his area of specialization is the interaction of ground to excavation tools and/or natural environmental processes and ground modification for construction. This specialization has been applied to trenchless technologies including directional drilling, small to large tunnels, soil/rock stability in shoreline protection systems, landslides, during permitting, design, and construction. In addition to his technical expertise, his management experience includes developing strategies for bid preparation, risk-based design, conceptual design, research and development, construction engineering, forensic analyses, and consulting. Brian has worked for numerous national firms, including Shannon and Wilson, GZA, Haley & Aldrich, and now Brierley Associates.
Dorwart’s clients have included contractors, private industry, public agencies, owners, engineers, and other governmental agencies in numerous business sectors such as oil and gas pipelines, telecommunications, water and wastewater, power transmission, rehabilitation of pipes and culverts, and transportation. Dorwart is a registered Professional Engineer in 23 states and a Registered Professional Geologist in two states. He has more than 40 years’ experience in underground engineering and more than 25 years design and field experience with various types of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) including subsurface characterization, design, cost analyses, construction management, forensics, and construction. He has worked in all 50 states, throughout Canada, Central and South America, and New Zealand.
Casino Royale is a ticketed event and tickets can be purchased during registration. Throughout the evening enjoy various food stations, cocktails and networking with your trenchless community. At the end of the evening attendees can turn in their winnings for a chance to take home raffle prizes. Festive cocktail attire is encouraged.
Attendees are invited to close out the NASTT 2024 No-Dig Show by saying goodbye to their peers at the Closing Luncheon in the exhibit hall from 12 to 1 p.m. on April 17 in the Exhibit Hall.
For more information about the show, visit nodigshow.com.
