Introducing the Women in Water Programme - Road to Glasgow

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to our webinar this afternoon where we will be introducing the women in water program. We have got let me see I think we got about 40 participants already joined. So I'm going to get started. Um just to start with a few housekeeping rules. Um this webinar will be recorded and it will be made available on IWA connect plus platform. Um the speakers are responsible for securing copyright permissions and I won't read out everything in the last bullet point. Um but just to be clear that anything said is the sole responsibility of us as speakers today. Um those of you who like me are more uh accustomed to Teams than Zoom. Just a couple of housekeeping rules. Um, if we can please use the chat box for general requests and any interactive activities. You'll see as we go through that there will be some information landing in the chat. Um, thanks to Sam for um opening up a a welcome uh conversation. It would be great if you could post in there who you are, who you're joining from. It'd be great to know where what part of the world you're joining us from. And we will be using the Q&A box which will be manned by one of our uh colleagues Sam Saunders um where we will use to uh use this to monitor any questions. There will be opportunities for questions. You'll see when we go on to the agenda and we will answer these during the discussions. So what are we um here to talk about today? Today we're really excited to be launching the women in water program in head ahead of the International Water Association Congress and exhibition in Glasgow this October. But this program is about much more than what happens over those four days. It's about creating connections. It's about amplifying voices, building a community that many of us are already part of but looking forward to welcoming more people into that community and that community endures post Glasgow. So today we're going to give you a quick overview of why this program matters, what's planned, how you can get involved, and how you can importantly connect to others before, during, and beyond Glasgow. So as I said, we'll start with a bit of information about Women in Water and what we want the program to achieve. We'll take you through what's on offer at Congress, including our uh connections hub, a buddying system, networking opportunities, and the wider, more technical focus program. We'll also talk about how you can get involved before Congress, and importantly, how we keep our community connected post Congress. As I said, there will be will be plenty of time for questions, so please do use the Q&A chat throughout. Um we'll be keeping an eye on that to make sure we don't miss your questions. If we do um hopefully we have so many questions that we time out um we will answer those after the webinar so we won't leave any question unanswers. So to move on to um who you're going to hear from today um I'm Sarah McMarth. For those of you who don't know me, my day job is as the chief executive of Mosul, the um market operator for the competitive business water retail market in the UK. But I'm also chairing the women in water international planning committee and it is very much the work of that committee that we are bringing to you today. I'm also joined by Jill Edwards whose day job is as delivery services manager at Skube but she is also the UK lead for women in water on that international planning committee. And finally uh but not least uh Carol Kens who is the chief asset officer for Portsmouth Water on a day-to-day basis but is our women in water program lead. So between us and the wider international planning committee a number of whom I can see have joined us on this call our aim is to bring together perspectives from across the sector and across different countries into one exciting and thought-provoking agenda. So why are we here? So as I said today really is about inviting you to participate actively in our program. The women in water program is designed to amplify voices, to foster connection, and to build a global water community. We really want you all to bring your experience, your ideas, and your energy. This is not a program owned and delivered by a small group of people. The women in water program is here for everyone, women and men. And speaking here on a personal note, I have been truly overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and the generosity of women from all over the world who have volunteered their time to support this program. It's none of our day job. And to all of you for giving up your lunchtime today to learn more about the program. So Glasgow is our destination. Um somewhere I've never been before. So I am looking forward to visiting Glasgow for the first time in October. But our ambition is much greater than Congress itself. We want the conversations and the relationships that we create through women in water to translate into positive action for gender equality across our sector and for lasting change. I've now worked in the water sector for 33 years and it's changed a lot. not necessarily as much as it needs to for us to deliver effectively for our communities. I reckon recognize that what we are aiming for as part of this program is a really big ambition, but it's why these conversations and these connections in and around Congress matter just as much as the event and the sessions themselves. So hopefully by the end of today or by the end of this session you'll have a clear idea of what is planned and most importantly a reason to get involved if we can move on. Thank you. So my first question for you is um are you joining us at Congress? So, we would love to know how many people on this call are planning to join us in Glasgow. You can scan this QR code and take part in the poll live. Um, whether you're definitely attending, you're still deciding, or you won't be there in person, please still scan the code and answer. It's not just if you're if you're coming. It really helps us understand who we're designing the program for and how we can ensure we make it as inclusive as possible. And we'll share the results in the chat as they come through. I'm really tempted to look at the chat and all of your um uh all of your introductions, but I'm going to resist that until I hand over. So, if I can have the next slide, please. Again, just to reiterate, as I've already mentioned, please do use the Q&A function for your questions and as I've said, the chat, which I can see is already very active um for any informal conversations. Um we'll come to your questions at the end and we are going to leave plenty of time for that. So, please do put your questions in. So, final slide before I hand over to Jill. um why women in water and and why now? Um I mentioned I've been in the water sector for 33 years now and there's been lots of conversations um about women in water and what our role is and whether we are diverse enough as a sector but why now? So the theme of this year's congress is water action the path to resilience and prosperity and that is where we started our conversations around the women in water program. The international women in water program was launched in Toronto two years ago. I suspect many of you on this call were there. I wasn't there in person. Um and that was launched by the women's leadership network. What we're hoping to do in Glasgow is to re-energize that and to build something that lasts beyond Congress. There is a strong linking to the women's leadership network and there will be presentations from them at the um as part of the women in wood program at Congress. But our ambition has always been to create a robust and thought-provoking program to ensure that women have a positive and supportive experience at Congress. We've heard feedback from women from across the world that they don't always get the best out of international conferences, but really importantly to explore as a community what action, resilience, and prosperity mean through the experiences and expertise of women. right across our sector, wherever you live and work in the world. And the key word here is community. We want this to become a sustained international network rather than simply a program that exists for just one conference. So on that note, I will hand over to Jill who will talk us through a little bit more of what will be in our program. Thank you. Thank you Sarah and hi to everybody. And I haven't been as good as Sarah. I have been looking as people have been joining the chat and it's absolutely inspirational to see so many people from across the world joining and I'm so glad to see our friends in the UK, some of the men from our um from our circle in here. Phil Barnaby, Brian, Joel, you are all so welcome. Mark, thank you for coming today. So why women in water and why now? The theme of this congress is water action the path to resilience and prosperity and that gave us a really strong starting point and platform for the women in water program when the international women water program was launched in Toronto with the women's leadership network. We wanted to en re-energize it in Glasgow. So genderinclusive congress delivery making sure women are represented across speakers panels leadership events and site visits. This is so important for us, making sure not only that we have a great program, but that we're advocating for this to be the most gender-incclusive congress to date. And that includes being clear on the need for female representation on site visits and ensuring that the appropriate PPE is available. It's all there for you. Please do sign up for all the opportunities that Glasgow is presenting to us. Secondly, we focused on developing an expert and inclusive program shaped by the global women in water community and bringing senior leadership together with expertise from across disciplines. This includes panels, panel sessions, different speakers and workshops. Over the last few months, you'll have seen us deliver a series of international webinars. This today is the last one before Congress. in 33 days, we'll all be together in that great big room focused and these webinars have focused on issues that materially affect women. You can visit the IWA website to listen back to any of the previous episodes and I really hope that you do that and you'll meet some faces that you'll see at Congress there as well. The connection hub, this has been critical for Sarah and I right from the beginning. It will be a visible welcoming space throughout Congress and we'll come to more of that later on. There are also going to be social and networking opportunities alongside a buddy system which we're implementing and that's particularly intended to support those early in their career and first-time international attendees. The overall aim is simple to make it easier for women to connect, participate and get the most out of Congress. Can I have the next slide please Erin? Thank you. So content is really important. There are three themes that we want you to look out for. Innovation, showcasing women led innovation projects and emerging technologies that can help create more inclusive services for the communities we serve. The second is equity in water challenges, exploring the gendered impacts of water, climate change and wash, and what equitable service delivery looks like in practice. And the third is technical expertise. We want to make sure there is space to showcase women's knowledge, solutions, and best practice across engineering, science, utilities, and research. These themes are deliberately broad because we want to reflect the whole breadth of the water sector and the range of expertise within it. And we are really really excited by the speaker and panel lineups that we have. Could I have the next slide please? So what's in it for you? Loads, of course, there's loads in it for all of us. First of all, knowledge and insight. You are going to hear directly from women leaders, technical experts, and practitioners working on some of the most important challenges facing our sector. Secondly, networks and connections. We want relationships to start before Congress here in the chat today and in the days leading up to Congress and to continue well afterwards. whether that's with peers, with mentors, or potential collaborators. And finally, we want people to leave with practical takeaways, ideas, knowledge, and skills that can be applied in your current role and in your future career. Importantly, everything to do with the Women in Water program is free to access in the exhibition hall. I think my friend is about to share the link to register in the chat. It's open now. So, if you haven't already picked up your tickets and registered, please do so now. We're really looking forward to seeing you there in a few weeks time. Um, can we go to the next slide, please? So, a key part of all of this is our connection hub. Think of it as a home for women in water throughout Congress. It's a space so you can just drop in, meet people, have a conversation, or simply somewhere that you can sit and reset, and you'll be able to find us all there. The hub is in the exhibition hall. It's on stand. We're going to come to that shortly. But whatever you're doing at Congress, please do come in and visit us. Make some friends, make some connections. You are very welcome, men and women. Uh the next one, please. So, our sponsors, we couldn't have done any of this without our sponsors. The connection hub is being made possible with the support of our sponsors, and we want to take a minute to recognize and thank them. Their support is helping us create a program and a space that is accessible, welcoming, and useful to the wider water community. We're also going to be highlighting our sponsors and the area of the program they're supporting. So, please look out for those opportunities during congress. And a big thank you to everyone who is supporting women in water. There are so many of you on this call today. Please make sure that any of you say hello during congress and reach out afterwards. Can we have the next one please? So the last one for me before I hand over to Carol. [snorts] One of the other ways we want to help people feel connected is through the women in water buddy system. And if you use your QR code or use your phone to click on the QR code, you can be part of that. Congress can be a really big experience. And if it's your first international congress, you're in, you're attending on your own, you're part of the neurodeiverse community, it could be quite overwhelming. The buddy system is designed to make sure that no one has to experience Congress alone. It's open to everyone, to firsttime attendees, returning delegates, allies. Everybody is welcome to take part in this. And a helpful reminder, Women in Water isn't intended to sit separately from Congress. It's designed to be an integral part of it. It's designed for everybody, not just for women. The buddy system can help you explore Congress with company. it whether that's on site visits in the operational challenge during speed mentoring if you're attending the cultural evening and all the different sessions taking place across Congress and I've mentioned the cultural evening we'd really like to encourage people to take up the opportunity to visit the beautiful Kelvin Grove Museum walk away from the exhibition hall so please do consider signing up promises to be a brilliant night we want women in water to be a gateway to the whole Congress experience, helping people make connections and giving them the confidence to explore opportunities beyond the women in water program itself. If you'd like to know more, scan the QR code and we'll connect you in the buddy system. So, over to my friend Carol, please. >> Thanks, Jill. Um, hi everybody. Um, yes. So, I'm going to take us on and give you a little bit more information about the program schedule. Uh, hopefully your interest has been peaked by some of the information that Jill took us through. So, um, this program is really bringing together some some international contributors who are really helping to shape uh, the women in water at Congress. Uh and what I found really exciting about being part of developing this program is the breadth of expert sort of expertise and perspectives that are involved. We're going to have contributions from different countries, different parts of the water sector and also uh people at different stages of their careers. Um as we get closer to Congress, we're going to be sharing more details about the speakers and the sessions. But you can see on the screen here, this is our draft program as it's currently shaping up to be. So it gives you a flavor of what it's looking like. Um it's been shaped by all the people who submitted uh to our call for topics. So I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to everyone who got involved with that. We had some fantastic ideas and it was really difficult for the panel to to sort of short short list those. Um but they've you know they've really helped shape this program. You can see there the program is going to be h kicked off at lunchtime on the Monday and we're aiming to close at lunchtime on the Thursday. And within that we have a whole breadth of different types of uh technical sessions, panels, workshops, presentations and also we have our networking opportunities and you'll see also we've called out the speed mentoring. So that's going to be a really uh really great event where we're going to bring people together for that mentoring experiences experience. So if you're interested in hearing different perspectives and making connections beyond your own country or organization, there's going to be lots for you to explore in this program. Next slide, please. So we just want to give you uh put a spotlight on some of the key things that uh that will be happening. So as I mentioned we are going to have our opening reception on Monday uh lunchtime in the IWA pavilion and we're really excited to welcome Joe Dao who is the CEO of business stream and also the 225 women and utilities women of the year. um she's going to be our keynote speaker and Joe brings a wealth of experience um and perspective which is going to be a fantastic way to open the program and set the tone for the week. Uh she's also from Scotland, fun fact. Uh so a great person to speak about the local community and customs as well. And then if we look fast forward to the end of the program on Thursday we're going to come back together at the Malaysian pavilion for the closing reception. Um, this is going to be a really important moment as we formally pass the baton to Sarowak ahead of the 2028 Congress and it's also a chance for us to reflect on the conversations and the connections we've made and built during the week and think about how we can carry that momentum forward. Um, so the more these receptions are more than just bookends to the program. There are opportunities to connect to celebrate the contribution of women across our sector and look ahead to what comes next. And if we go on to the next slide please. So we'd also like to just uh spotlight on some sponsored events that we had. Uh obviously Jill uh we we mentioned our sponsors earlier. Um but yeah, as I say, we couldn't do this without our our kind sponsors and they're playing a really important role in making this program possible particularly through the connection hub and the wider program of activities. Uh so you can see there we've got Zylm, Accenture, CGI and Binga and we've highlighted where they're sponsoring some events. So they're sponsoring uh panels and and then networking events and then also we've got the speed mentoring and breakfast event as well. Um so we we'll be sharing more details about these events as they're confirmed. So there's going to be lots of opportunity to get involved. Um but also a big shout out for our women in water LinkedIn page. Please um subscribe to that if you haven't already and keep an eye out um for any announcements on sponsors and supporters over the coming weeks. we can move on to the next slide. Yes. So, where are we going to be? So, Jill mentioned we're going to be in stand five. Uh, so this is where it is. So, I don't know how big this is on people's screens, but hopefully you can see the red box there to the top right hand side. Um, and that's where we are in the exhibition hall. Um, so yeah, come and find us um in the stand. That's going to be our home. drop in, meet other people, have a coffee. Uh, we'll also be hosting some events in that space. Um, so yeah, please, please come and say hello. And if we could move on to the next slide. Yeah, already done it. Uh, yeah. So, I think as Sarah mentioned at the beginning, this is not just about the sort of uh the days at Congress. It's about what comes before and what comes after. Um so before Congress we've created opportunities for you to connect through webinars and podcasts so you can start building those relationships and it's fantastic to see all the um hellos in the chat today. So we already know a lot of people that are potentially going to be going to the congress. I think I saw Sam post up that about 59% of people on the call today h are actually going to congress. So that's fantastic. Um but then when you're there it's about immersing yourself in the opportunities isn't it? Participating. So drop in, learn, contribute, share your experience and meet people. I mean for myself being involved in developing this program. I'm just really grateful already for the connections I've made through through the development of the program let alone uh looking forward to attending the congress as well. Uh so yeah please do get bit involved and then beyond congress we want to keep the we want to keep the dialogue. We want to keep those connections, keep those networks, keep learning with each other, um, and that kind of strong allyship as well. So, I think we're going to share the links, maybe that's already been done in the chat today, to the congress podcasts, the learn on demand webinars, and the women in water LinkedIn community. I'm sure Sam is right on that. Um, so yeah, please don't just think of the 4th to the 8th of October as a start and end point. It's a catalyst for something longer term. And finally for me before I hand back to Sarah, um we really want to emphasize that this is not just a conversation for women. Uh this content is relevant to everyone. It's relevant to men as well. uh you know you'll when you'll see the program we're covering topics like AI and digital transformation resilience workforce planning drought water security governance innovation they're all mainstream topics aren't they mainstream challenges that we all face as a sector um but we should recognize that you know gender inequality does exist in our sector um and women are materially more impacted by these inequalities so you know We we we therefore bring the WA women in water program to provide expert and evidence-led content but adopting a gendered perspective um to highlight where those issues exist. It's really important that everyone contributes. We have men and women in the conversation um and men advocating for more equitable services systems and workforces. We want women in water to create a community where everyone can contribute to a positive change in the sector and I'm now pleased to hand over to Sarah. >> Great. Thank you very much um Carol and thank you Jill as well. Um I've had a I've had a quick look through the chat. Thank you everyone who's who's introduced yourselves. It's great to see the different perspectives. Um, I will ask if possible if you can um, post your questions in the Q&A rather than the chat. Again, I mentioned at the beginning, I know a lot of colleagues are probably more familiar with Teams where it's it's one and the same thing. If it's not appearing on your bar at the bottom, it wasn't on mine when I first joined. It's under the three dots that say more to the right of your um, bar function. So, if you can post in there, but I think I've managed to pick up the questions in the chat. So, I'm going to um attempt to answer those I'm aware of. So, uh first question was really easy. Can we share the slides? Um yes, absolutely. The only caveat I'll put on that um and this goes into the second question that's been asked is that the um program that's in this slide pack will have draft across it in big letters because that is still working progress. Um and I'll just pick up a couple of points on why that is still work in progress. So thank you. I can see a number of familiar names on the participant list for those of you who submitted a topic into our call for topics. Um we have been through a rigorous uh evaluation process for those. I don't think there was anything that was submitted that wouldn't have been a good addition to our program. So as Carol said, it was a really hard decision to make. Um so we have uh offered those slots to the um call the topics that came top of that list. Um and so for those of you who haven't heard yet that means that currently you are below the line of topics of of sessions that we have available. However, the reason you haven't heard is because since people put the call for topics in, in some cases, their circumstances have changed and they are no longer able to deliver those sessions. So, we are absolutely live in the process now of going through the slots that we have available and ensuring that we um can fill all of those. So, if you haven't heard yet, you will hear shortly. Um, also to call out um as Carol said, we are um all of our activities with the exception of the um two workshops which will be in main congress. So the first of those being um le led by Cheryl Davis which is a workshop focusing in on how individuals and organizations can support the contributions of women in water ideas from across the world. That workshop will take place in moan congress not the not the exhibition hall at um on the Monday evening for those of you who are in Toronto that that was um that was a workshop that was started in Toronto this is really part two of that um and there'll be more details available of that in the main program and [clears throat] the second event that is in the main congress hall is a an event on the Thursday morning from 10:30 30 till 12 which is story chenning for change women leaders driving water action which will be led by Analisa contest with the exception of those two events everything that we're delivering through the women in water program will be delivered in the exhibition hall and those of you who have been to um international [clears throat] congress or or national congress before will know that exhibition halls are quite noisy. So the other consideration as we populate the agenda is ensuring that we have suitable spaces for the um type of session that people want to run and we are still a big plea here um and I can see a a question from from a colleague who's already volunteered um so Mattel has already volunteered a space and and that is in the um agenda but anybody who does have access to a space in the exhibition hall. We do still have some session slots where we don't have a location to hold those. That doesn't mean those events go ahead. It means we will hold them in our connection hub. But that space is really designed more for informal networking. Um although we will have the capability to run panels and presentations in that space. So, apologies. That's a a long- winded answer to the question of when will I hear. Um, but that is definitely um will be confirmed in the next couple of days. Uh, we hope to make those final decisions on Friday. Next question I can see around the can you join the sponsored event if you have an exhibitor's badge instead of a delegate pass. Absolutely. With the exception of the two events that are happening on the Monday. um morning on the Monday evening and the Thursday morning everything that all all of the events that we're running in the women in water program will be um accessible to anybody who has an exhibition pass. So the the fourth question I can I can see um which I can see Sam's put a a an answer in the chat is for all of those who are not able to attend Congress, how will they be able to get updates on what h what is happening in Glasgow? Um I think I I'll answer that from two fronts rows. The first one is um s we as we've already mentioned we have a LinkedIn group. We were very excited. I think yesterday we got to um 600 uh members of that LinkedIn group. Um Sam, maybe if you can post in the chat what we're up to now. Hopefully everybody in this group is um on this call is a member of that group. So we will be posting live during Congress and providing updates of um photographs and um rundowns of what is happening during Congress. But the second part is really important is the point that hopefully hopefully we haven't overdone but we've been trying to emphasize as we have been um going through this afternoon's agenda is the importance of this being a community that stays connected post Glasgow. So um not just handing over to Sarowak for the um next international congress but really importantly embracing the women's leadership network which is a key uh group within the IWA and ensuring that um that work carries on and that we in the women in water program can support that as far as we possibly can. Um, we've also had some questions around um, can we collect data at the congress? I am, anyone who knows me knows I absolutely love data of any format. So, we're looking at ways to collect information to run polls within our uh connection hub to try and get as much information as possible um both through the live presentations and Q&As's but also through individuals attending Congress on what matters to them in terms of being women or allies or supporters of women in our water indust. industry um across the world. So that gathering of data is really important as well. Um just picking up again another a question that was asked earlier, we will the connection hub within the exhibition hall will be staffed throughout the whole of Congress. So from um Monday lunchtime through to our close on Thursday lunchtime at all times by a minimum of two women volunteers. Um we have had an overwhelming response from women um from across the world who will be volunteering to staff that stand. But just to reiterate, whilst we have emphasized the need for the volunteers to be women um in that connection hub, men are welcome to join us within the connection hub and for any events that we run within the program. So I think that's answered all the questions I've seen. I've just seen another one pop up um from Cam. Oh, that is a great question. So, I I'm going to attempt to answer that question myself, but I'm happy for others to um chip in on this one and and if you've got a a point maybe I'm sorry, I'm acting live on this now, which probably my team are all rolling their eyes and thinking we didn't discuss this, but I think this is a great question from Cam. So again, if um if I read this out, if you can post in chat, I'll give you my perspective. But the question is, what one change do you think women could make to to better support and champion other women in the workplace? Um so I'm happy if people want to either type the answer in the Q&A or or give a view in chat. My personal perspective cam is I it's about being really conscious about doing that. Um one of the things that I would reflect on from a personal basis is that whilst I have always been a woman working in a very male-dominated environment, I didn't engage with women's networks early on in my career. Um I if I'm completely honest with you which I think it's important to be I actively avoided them. The women who are associated with those networks were often regarded as a bit militant as difficult and I was doing okay. I was progressing well. I regret that now. And one of the reasons why I am passionate about supporting uh this initiative but also in my role on the board of women in utilities network is the importance of women supporting other women. I was asked probably oh gosh 12 13 years ago now um by a woman on a um women in leadership program you know what what am I going to do to send the elevator back down. So now I'm in a leadership position. What am I doing to support other women? And I think actively mentoring young women, something I I do personally, but I think we should all be focused on there is no competition. There is no um benefit from being the only woman in the room. I know it because I've been there. um there is a benefit to all in terms of business performance and in terms of positive working cultures when we have diverse work teams. So for me that one change is reach out look for the woman in the room who's standing nervously at the edge and is probably going to go home early because they don't know anybody in the room actively support other women. So, thank you for that question and I can see that um there's some other really good answers coming through in the chat. So, thank you for sharing those. Um I think feedback that's a great answer Lisa that you know really celebrating the um great work of other women and um providing that feedback. One bit of feedback I I've given to a number of women over the years is is don't always be the one to volunteer to take notes or to make the tea. It puts you into a naturally subservient position and actually that is something within your control. So um another question that's come in um will there be subsequent activities after this year's congress? Yes, absolutely. I think in um Monra I think in two I'll answer that in two ways um there will be the handover to the next congress and we are very keen as a women in waters program to support that handover and the learnings we've had from working on this for the the last nine months or so. Um but also the key here will be the women's leadership network within IWA. So again, um really encourage people to those of you who have a full Congress pass um to join the event on the Thursday um which will be focused on the um women leaders driving water action and that's really where the future focus will be. Um I don't know whether Anisa's on this this call Anisa contest but I can certainly we can provide some more um details around the women's leadership network after this call and how anybody can get involved in that. And again some some great thoughts coming through on the chat. Yeah, I love the point about recognizing our own privilege and understanding intersectionality. I think again really important to recognize that um women from different cultures will have um different levels of of ability to um engage in all male activities. Um I one thing I learned um without reaching any confidentialities because I think they they might be on this call um a colleague from another European country shared with me early on in our planning for these events that despite having been um a leader in her field for the last 30 years, she has never presented her own work. Her work has always been presented by male colleagues. And whilst in that in itself is shocking in its own right to me as as a woman leading in the UK water sector, what was more shocking to me was that she thought that was the right answer because um she believed her work would be taken more seriously if a man presented it. So very conscious of um the different of the way in which a woman um will progress in the workplace within the UK environment. And one of the things we're really really keen to focus on within the program that hopefully you'll see with the range of topics from different countries is recognizing that whilst Congress is in Glasgow and there will naturally be um some of the sessions which are quite UK focused there is a really wide range of views from across the world. Okay. So, um, Janelle, how can you get actively involved um during and after Congress? Well, certainly join our buddy program. So, the buddy program is is for everybody. It's not just for people who are early on in their career or who want to buddy. If you are offering to be a buddy, please also join that program. So, that would be a great way to get involved is to put yourself forward, but I guess most importantly, come and say hello on on day one. Come and join us in our connection hub. We'll all be there from well hopefully we won't all be there because it's not big enough, but lots of us will be there from 1:00 on the Monday lunchtime. A number of us will be there from the Sunday for the opening ceremony. Um we will have badges. Um Sam Saunders who's who's monitoring the chat for us and who is doing a great job of supporting the comms here um is is supporting us on getting badges which will clearly identify people associated with the women in water program. We will also be identifying embarrassingly for me only English um but for many of our colleagues it will also be identifying the number of languages that people speak. So if English is not your first language, we will have Women in Water volunteers who will be um out and about and who you can talk to in your first language hopefully. Um really important point that Philip has just reminded me and apologies because I think I missed this when I was doing my um introduction is there will also be a conference guidance document um which will primarily be focused on women earlier on in their career. But again there is something in there for everybody. um I've read a draft of that and I've learned things about Glasgow I didn't know and how to um get involved. So that document um again a big call out. I don't know if Katherine's on our call, but um Katherine Far, who leads the international community of women in water, has been a great support to us on the women in water program and has shared some conference guidance that she's prepared for other um congresses where there's been a women in water focus. So, that document will be available. We're hoping to get that out um probably a couple of weeks time. will definitely be out in advance of Congress and it the aim really is to help delegates as Philip has said feel welcomed, prepared and confidence to make the most of the opportunities offered by Glasgow, including some cultural information about Glasgow, about Scotland and answering some key questions that women have asked me personally from across the world when we've been talking about attendance in Glasgow. And um Sumab, great question. Uh do we need to sign up in advance for the speed networking or just turn up on the day? Um that is going to be a just turn up on the day and we again there'll be more information on that shared through our um through our LinkedIn posts. But we will also be producing a flyer in advance of um Congress which will give you all the key information. Uh but we're saying turn up on the day but but bring a bring a sounds bit straight bring a problem with you. So um is there something that again there'll be more information in the the pack on this but is there something that is niggling you in your day-to-day work? Have you got a challenge that you don't quite know where to turn? The idea of the speed mentoring and the speed networking is to get a range of views from people um not just people who are older or or further on in their careers than you, but to get a range of views on how people may deal with that challenge. I think those are all the um open questions. Um would any of my would any of the team like to um chip in if I have missed anything? So I'm looking through my my chat with the team now just to check I haven't missed anything. I think we have um captured all the questions that have been answered. Um so I was just going to I think I've got a couple of um I've got a a final slide. If I can just go to the next slide. Oh, back up one. Just back to Oh, that's the one. Um, so really just to close on um a few practical things. Um, sign up for the exhibition pass again. We'll say save these share these slides afterwards and you'll be able to follow that link through. Join the conversation online ahead of um ahead of Glasgow. It's I think as Jill said 33 days time. It has come across quickly. Um, come and find us at the the exhibition, sign up for the LinkedIn group. I see we've got up to It would be great if by the close of play today as a result of this session, we could get to 700 um people uh joining that. That is not the only way of communicating. We will also, as I said, be producing a flyer that can be shared via email or other channels. Um but that is what the main focus at the moment and we're looking at other ways of of sharing spreading the word. Um please do share with your networks with your communities. Um and I guess finally from me just just a big thank you to everybody who's contributed so far to the program which has been um more people than I can possibly mention um across the world and here in the UK and um particularly the working group who have been pulling together some of the um some of the challenges of of of matching together. what is it that women want to focus on and where are we going to have these conversations and as we've already said really proud that we have managed to make the connection hub happen and grateful to all of our sponsors and just as a final note we have not um filled all of the slots so far we do still have opportunities for sponsors we've got another um few conversations happening this week uh but it's not too late if you are um involved with an organization that either has a space, a stand um with available slots or if your organization is interested in sponsoring or supporting the program, we are still open to those uh providing those opportunities which I think then just leads me to say a big thank you to all of you for coming today. Please stay involved, ask questions and um stay part of this great community that we are bringing together. And then I think I've just got a couple of slides up here on um Thank you. These are just a couple of other events that are coming up with IWA. So I'm going to pause there just make sure there's no more questions. I've seen the question Great. I think that I think we've answered all the questions. So, I am really looking forward to seeing you all um and those of you uh including the Netherlands pavilion as you've noted MTEL um who've offered your space, we are hugely grateful to that and we're really looking forward to coming along to the uh events in Glasgow. Thank you.