7:15 am – 5:00 pm: IBWA Registration

7:30 am – 9:00 am: Continental Breakfast

7:00 am – 9:00 am:  IBWA Executive Committee Meeting (closed)

8:00 am – 9:00 am: Games That Prospects and Buyers Play (1 Business CEU)

Session Description: Are you ready to take your sales skills to the next level? In this session, you’ll gain understanding of commonly accepted selling steps, learn about what is driving your prospects/buyers reactions, discover the inherent conflict between the two above that stops/slows down your sale, and be introduced to some key concepts that break the old model. Attend this session and return to your workplace with skills and action items that will help your business grow!

8:00 am – 9:00 am: Greenhouse Gas 101: Emissions Measurement and Management at Your
Manufacturing Facilities, Office Spaces, and With Your Vehicle Fleets (1 Technical CEU)

Session Description: Are you interested in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in your facility? Attend this hour-long workshop on how to measure and calculate your GHG emissions with discussion of reduction practices that can also lead to cost savings.

8:45 am – 10:15 am: IBWA State Affairs Task Force

Members Only

9:15 am – 10:15 am: Update on Microplastics Testing, Regulation, and Research (1 Technical CEU)

Session Description: This session will introduce the evolving topic of nano- and microplastics. The webinar will explain what nano- and microplastics are, provide nano- and microplastic sources and occurrence, review the latest regulatory outlook, and discuss possible sampling and analytical options.

10:15 am – 10:45 am: IBWA Regional Associations Committee Meeting

Members Only

10:30 am – 11:30 am: Bottled Water Filtration: Part of High-Quality Assurance (1 Technical CEU)

Session Description: Safe drinking water is vital to our existence. It provides us with the hydration that every one of our organs needs to function. Bottled water offers a portable water source that could be very safe if prepared correctly. This session will discuss the ways to check for major impurities, bacterial contamination prevention, final filtration, and the integrity test. Come to this session and gain valuable knowledge on how to maintain your high-quality assurance in your product.

11:00 am – 12:15 pm: Communications Committee Meeting

Members Only

12:30 pm –  3:30 pm: IBWA Trade Show and Lunch

 4:00 pm –   5:15 pm: DWRF Trustees Meeting

7:15 am – 5:00 pm: IBWA Registration

8:00 am – 10:45 am: IBWA General Session, Annual Business Meeting, Awards Ceremony, Keynote Presentation, and Continental Breakfast (1.5 Business CEUs)

Session Description: Hear IBWA Chair Hih Song Kim (BlueTriton Brands) discuss what she’s learned during her tenure. She’ll also pass the gavel on to IBWA’s 2025 Chair Douglas Hidding (Blackhawk Molding), who will share his vision for his upcoming term as IBWA Chair. Joe Doss, IBWA president and CEO, will report on IBWA’s latest achievements and predictions for what’s in store for the future. IBWA will also hold our Awards Ceremony to celebrate the commitment of individuals and companies to the bottled water industry. Plan to join us as we pause to recognize the contributions and achievements of bottled water professionals.

Keynote Presentation: Winning with Simplicity: In a complex world with information overload, confusing processes, and difficulty growing, Marsh’s presentation—“Winning with Simplicity”—removes complexity and turns simplicity into a competitive advantage. His keynote address will launch attendees on a journey of creating an elite customer experience that will become their company’s greatest weapon to capture market share, resulting in more growth opportunities. Attendees will walk away with new skills and resources including how to lead with confidence, drive faster decision-making, how to steer customers through decisions to win more and win faster, and maximize impact.

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Environmental Sustainability Committee Meeting

Members Only.

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Bottled Water Sales Trends (1 Business CEU)

Session Description: The bottled water category reached a new volume production high in 2023, and widened its lead as the most popular packaged beverage in the United States, with growth continuing into 2024. During this fast-paced session, learn how the category and its key segments are performing, how inflation and other developments are impacting the business, as well as the outlook for the future. Also, get perspective on competitive refreshment beverage categories like carbonated soft drinks, sports drinks, and more.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Lunch on Own

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm: Supplier and Convention Committee Meeting

Members Only.

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Emerging Contaminants and Regulations: An Update on What’s New (1 Technical CEU)

Session Description: In an ever-changing world, water producers must simultaneously track and keep pace with new regulations, new possible contaminants, and changing standards for substances like per- and poly-alkyl substances (PFAS), 1,4-Dioxane, 1,2,3-Trichloropropane, BPA, microplastics, and more. Come to this session to get a detailed summary of all new and pending federal and state regulations, emerging contaminants and their degrees of relevance and risk to the bottled water community, and future methods and tools to stay current with this dynamic topic.

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Boost Your Brand: How to Partner With Social Media Influencers (1 Business CEU)

Session Description: Partnering with social media influencers is a powerful way to elevate your brand’s visibility and credibility. Our panel of experts—which includes a brand owner, influencer, and partnership manager—will guide you through the essentials of an influencer marketing campaign, covering everything from identifying the right influencers to crafting compelling collaboration strategies. Whether you are a small business owner or a marketing professional, this session will equip you with practical insights and tools to leverage influencer marketing and boost your brand’s presence online. Join us to explore the dynamic world of social media influencers and take your brand promotion to the next level (even if you have a small budget)! Come prepared with questions, as this insightful session will include a moderated discussion with time for audience Q&A.

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm: Reverse Osmosis: An Overview of Monitoring and Maintenance (1 Technical CEU)

Session Description: Are you looking to refresh your Reverse Osmosis (RO) knowledge? This session will take attendees on a step-by-step journey through the RO system. From the basics and principles of RO to system design, operation, and maintenance, to RO membranes and more, attendees will gain valuable information on their plant’s water treatment system. Don’t miss the chance to level up your RO expertise!

2:45 pm – 3:45 pm: Watching the Dust Settle: What Is the Outcome of the 2024 General Election and Its Impact on the Bottled Water Industry

Session Description: Come and join with industry peers as we discuss the outcome of the 2024 general election, which is occurring the day before this educational session! This session will review the U.S. presidential, senate, and congressional elections and who to expect to control the levers of legislating come January 2025. We will also dive into key state outcomes, as changes of legislative control will impact how the bottled water industry engages in issues in the coming year.

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Health and Safety Tools for Frontline Employees (1 Technical CEU)

Session Description: This interactive session will showcase BlueTriton Brands’ ReadyRefresh ergonomic safe lifting program and situational awareness training. You’ll learn how to protect yourself and employees from injury through discussing their safe lifting philosophy, key components of an effective training program with an interactive “feeling is believing” approach to gain team buy-in. Additionally, the session will teach you to recognize driving hazards by improving close quarter driving skills, and critical thinking strategies. Whether you’re loading trucks or driving to customers, this session will enhance your team’s health and safety practices to prevent injuries and accidents.

4:00 pm – 5:15 pm: CPO Program: PTRM Update and Study Session (1.25 Technical CEUs)

Session Description: This session is your one stop for all things related to the updated IBWA Plant Technical Reference Manual (PTRM) and CPO Exam. First, attendees will learn what’s new about the new PTRM! Next, let’s have some fun while challenging one another and a “plant manager” or “quality manager” in a game show format. If you have ever attended an IBWA annual meeting, you know the drill…but attend anyway as this version of the game is updated with new material from the 2023 IBWA PTRM. Come join the fun, and maybe even learn something new!

8:00 am – 10:00 am: Board of Directors Meeting and Continental Breakfast

Members Only.

8:00 am – 11:00 am: IBWA CPO Exam

Ticketed Members Only.