Sept. 23–26, ASPE convened its 2021 Tech Symposium at the San Diego Marriott Mission Valley, and is pleased to announce that attendance reached an all-time high for this biennial event (610+ total attendees), eclipsing the previous attendance record in 2019 in Pittsburgh.

To kick off the weekend, more than 330 plumbing engineers and designers enjoyed interacting face to face with the Sponsors of the event at the two-day Tech Symposium Product Show on Thursday evening and Friday morning. Attendees learned about the newest innovations and plumbing products from 54 of the industry’s top manufacturers and service providers while reengaging with their peers from across the country for the first time in almost two years. In fact, numerous attendees remarked on how glad they were to be back in person for a national ASPE event.

“We at McWane Plumbing Group believe the show attendance was far better than expected, and that was apparent as our booth was constantly buzzing with engineers,” said Francesca Dunbar, vice president, group marketing for McWane Plumbing Group. “It was good to actually see people’s faces and have meaningful conversations.”

The cornerstone of the ASPE Tech Symposium is the Technical Education Program, which spanned 2.5 days this year and included 40 sessions offering up to 1.2 CEUs. Attendees crowded the session rooms to learn from our expert speakers on timely topics such as reopening buildings after shutdowns, changes to the latest plumbing codes, the environmental benefits of heat pump water heaters, balancing sustainability and water safety, and more.

An unexpected rainstorm in typically sunny San Diego couldn’t dampen attendees’ spirits at the Welcome Party sponsored by Charlotte Pipe, and ASPE Young Professionals (AYP) also hosted a special get-together at Park & Rec in University Heights. Prior to the Symposium, AYP held its biennial Leadership Academy, sponsored by Zurn, where young professionals gathered to learn proven strategies to bring out the best in themselves and their team members.

“After such an unsettled time, it was extremely exciting to see our members, Sponsors, and industry partners at the 2021 ASPE Tech Symposium,” said William “Billy” Smith, FASPE, ASPE’s executive director and CEO. “As reflected in the attendance numbers, the industry remains committed to ASPE and our members, and I wholeheartedly thank everyone who took the time to travel to San Diego to be part of such an amazing event.”

The next national ASPE event will be the 2022 ASPE Convention & Expo in Indianapolis on September 16–20. Registration will open in the spring.