Utilimetrics: Autovation® 2008

AMRA marked two major milestones at Autovation 2007®, in Reno, Nevada, changing its name to Utilimetrics, and celebrating its 20th anniversary in style.

The anniversary was marked with a cake-cutting ceremony and the distribution of @20, a specially produced anniversary newsletter featuring a re-cap and timeline of the organization’s first two decades.

“Autovation® 2007 marked the turning of a page,” said Utilimetrics Executive Director Brian Pugliese. “We were able to acknowledge the accomplishments we’ve made during the past 20 years, and also look forward to the next 20 with a new name and an updated sense of purpose.”

The celebratory mood extended to the rest of the symposium, as Autovation® attracted more than 1,500 attendees and a record number of Pre-Autovation® course participants. Utilimetrics’ past presidents were honored with a presentation of sextants, which were not only a token of appreciation, but also symbolic of their leadership in guiding the association during their terms.

Other highlights included:

General Session
The general session featured the major announcement of the symposium: AMRA is changing its name to Utilimetrics — Alliance for Advanced Metering & Data Management Solutions.

Keynote speakers Ben Koch of Citibank and Cameron O’Reilly of the Bayard Group kicked off the session, addressing the role that advanced metering plays in the industry; enlightening attendees on why investors have an interest in the technology sector and why smart metering can change the world and save valued resources.

Ken Schmidt entertained the attendees with his story of turning around the legendary Harley-Davidson company and building strong brand loyalty.

Two long-time association members were honored during the general session; Peggy Richmond, of Ampy Metering received the association’s first President’s Award for her many years of committee work and in particular for her tireless efforts on the re-branding initiative. Bruce Lackey of Badger Meter, Inc. received the prestigious Robert J. Green Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding dedication as chair of the program committee for three consecutive years.

Educational Sessions
The educational sessions offered a full program for utility professionals with diverse topics and tracks designed for all levels of deployment. Panel discussions covered smart grid, MDM, financial issues, regulatory and legislative concerns. During Autovation® 2007, 16 Pre-Autovation courses were offered, 33 concurrent sessions took place and more than 100 speakers presented. A wealth of information was shared among utility professionals.

Exhibit Hall
The Autovation® Exhibit Hall was packed with leading suppliers. Attendees benefited from on-the-spot demonstrations and access to the most innovative solutions available. Autovation® Innovation Showcase demonstrations allowed for in-depth presentations on the latest metering advances.

The Association thanks Autovation® sponsors, attendees, course instructors, exhibitors, session presenters and, of course, the Program Committee, chaired by Dick Preston of Comverge. The program committee members spent a year preparing for the event and the results of their hard work were evident. The educational sessions included tracks designed for all functional areas of the utility AMR/AMI team including: rates, IT, customer service, project management, demand response and MDM. In addition, a track was successfully developed for water utility professionals. These targeted tracks were instrumental in creating an outstanding educational conference for all who attended.

What Attendees are Saying About Autovation 2007®:

The Pre-Autovation® course I attended was the best ever!
It was great. I learned so much in a no-holds-barred fashion. Everyone expressed how and what they experienced at different stages of their project whether completed, on-going or still in the planning stages.
As a first-time attendee this was a great conference. It gave me a lot of insight as to what issues other utilities have experienced with deployments.
Best format, valuable information in a conference – real hands-on experiences. Thanks
Great conference. I learned a lot and made some great contacts.