Speakers Include:

• Simon has been working on the technology development of water and wastewater for 10+ years, with a main focus on sensing, IoT, and leveraging our data.
• He has been part of VA SYDs smart metering journey since the beginning: setting up requirements for procurement, implementation and the continuous development that needs to take place.
• "So the main things we want to share are our learnings from implementing a solution without vendor lock-ins that is adoptable for technology change and how this can help create development, not limit it. And also what we have learned from our mistakes and what we would do differently if we were starting over today".

• As part of a panel discussion, Frederic will explore where engagement strategies build trust, where customers disengage or challenge the data, and how complaint trends can reveal operational pressure points after installation.
• The discussion will move beyond assumptions about customer behaviour and focus on measurable feedback, practical response patterns and the communication gaps that affect adoption.
• Frederic will go deeper into the practical changes needed to improve trust, strengthen communication and turn smart metering insight into more effective customer response at scale.

• Evelyn represents the largest water utility company in Flanders, Belgium, where Evelyn focuses on the implementation and smart use of digital water meters.
• The presentation focuses on the rollout of digital water meters on the sector level for Pidpa, Farys and De Watergroep.

Key challenges and discussion points include:

• Logistical complexity (more than 2.8 million analogue meters by 2030)
• Interoperability and data exchange
• Customer acceptance and communication
• Technological hurdles
• Regulatory alignment

• As the Netherlands' largest drinking water utility, Vitens is actively exploring how smart metering can support improved customer understanding, network performance and future water management objectives. 
• Edwin will discuss the evolving business case for smart water metering and the factors influencing investment decisions within the Dutch market.

• Operating in one of the world's most water-constrained regions, Aqaba Water Company is using smart meter data to improve the speed and accuracy of leak and NRW detection. 
• Ehab will discuss how the utility is turning large volumes of consumption data into actionable insights and integrating those insights into operational response processes.

• Sofia Lettenbichler has served as Managing Director of WE Data Europe, the European association for energy and water data management, since September 2024. 
• The presentation highlight how the installation of digital meters influences consumer behaviour by providing real-time feedback on water use, encouraging greater awareness, and more efficient consumption patterns. The presentation will also draw on lessons learned from the energy sector, particularly from the deployment of heat metering and heat cost allocators, to explore how the rollout of smart water metering can be accelerated effectively to maximise customer impact.

• Joachim Maes, Team Leader at the European Commission’s DG Environment, will provide a European Commission perspective on the water sector’s digital transition and its role in strengthening water resilience.
• Joachim's presentation will examine the policy backdrop of water scarcity, drought and EU consultation, alongside the rollout of smart meters and digital technologies across Europe.
• He will also discuss the European Water Resilience Strategy, current work under the Digitalisation Action Plan for the water sector, and how these initiatives support utilities and stakeholders.
• The session will explore how data, innovation and standardisation can help accelerate digital transformation and build a more resilient European water sector.

Dr. Al-Hader sits at the intersection of:

• Water network strategy 
• Asset information / GIS 
• Digital infrastructure (CMMS, OT, analytics) 
• Performance optimisation at the system level 
• Contributions will address how investments in smart data about assets (pipes, valves, meters, networks) become operational control and delivers payback and ROI.