WQTC 2026 at a glance
- WQTC 2026 runs November 15-19, 2026 at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee.
- The exhibit hall is open 15 floor hours over two days, Monday 9:30am to 6:30pm and Tuesday 8:00am to 2:00pm.
- The official a2z directory listed 53 exhibitors for 2026, two fewer than the 55 listed in 2025.
- An Exhibits Only badge for the WQTC floor is $80 for AWWA members and $100 otherwise.
- The AWWA room block at the Peabody Memphis closed on October 23, 2026.
- WQTC 2026 is tracked for operator credit through check-in codes in the AWWA Events app, available from November 1.
What is the AWWA Water Quality Technology Conference, and why does WQTC 2026 matter?
The Water Quality Technology Conference, known as WQTC, is the American Water Works Association's specialty conference on drinking water quality, and the 2026 edition runs November 15-19, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee. The organiser describes it as one of the largest specialty conferences in the world.
WQTC is a technical program rather than a general trade show. Its sessions cover PFAS, lead and copper, microplastics, perchlorate, potable reuse and pathogens, and the 2026 edition adds tracks on AI, machine learning, data centers and wildfire impacts on water quality. The exhibit hall gathers 53 companies for 2026.
The Memphis edition follows the 2025 WQTC at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center in Washington, and the 2027 host city is still to be determined.
Who should attend or exhibit at WQTC 2026 in Memphis?
WQTC 2026 is built for the people who run drinking water quality. AWWA names ten attendee groups, from water quality specialists and treatment plant managers to laboratory scientists, engineers, regulators, utility managers and consultants. The exhibit hall is where those buyers meet suppliers.
On the supply side, the hall spans pipes, valves, meters, hydrants, membrane filtration systems and laboratory equipment, mapped to a program on PFAS, lead and copper, microplastics, perchlorate, potable reuse and pathogens. The directory even tags exhibitors by water quality software and other categories, so a seller of instruments, chemicals, treatment or data tools has a clear audience.
WQTC 2026 dates, exhibit hall hours and daily schedule
WQTC 2026 runs November 15-19, 2026 at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee, Sunday through Thursday. The two exhibit days are Monday, November 16, when the hall is open 9:30am to 6:30pm, and Tuesday, November 17, when it is open 8:00am to 2:00pm.
| Day | What runs | Floor time | |---|---|---| | Sun, Nov 15 | Pre-conference workshops on November 15, 2026; Student and YP reception at 6:00 p.m. | None | | Mon, Nov 16 | Opening General Session 8:15am to 9:30am; hall 9:30am to 6:30pm; reception in the hall 5:00 to 6:30pm | 9 hours | | Tue, Nov 17 | Early-Bird session 7:15 to 8:00am; hall 8:00am to 2:00pm; Student Awards 5:05 to 5:30pm | 6 hours | | Wed, Nov 18 | Sessions only, from 8:30am; no exhibit hall | None | | Thu, Nov 19 | Facility tour 8:00am to 12:00pm | None |
Registration opens 7:15am to 6:00pm on Monday. The hall is busiest in its session-free windows: the Monday open and the Tuesday stretch before the close.
How should a team plan each day of WQTC 2026?
Five dates carry WQTC 2026, but only two are exhibit days. Monday, November 16 the hall is open 9:30am to 6:30pm, which is 9 open floor hours; Tuesday, November 17 it is open 8:00am to 2:00pm, which is 6. Sunday is workshops, Wednesday is sessions only, and Thursday is the facility tour, so the booth plan is really a two-day plan totalling 15 hours.
That shape means Monday carries the long shift and Tuesday is a short, busy morning before teardown. B2Brain's exhibitor planning guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide sets out a day-by-day version of this plan.
Where is WQTC 2026 held inside the Renasant Convention Center?
WQTC 2026 is held at the Renasant Convention Center, 255 N Main St, Memphis, TN 38103. The center sits on the Memphis waterfront, a short walk and shuttle from the headquarters hotel. It is a single downtown hall rather than a sprawling campus, which keeps the exhibit floor and the session rooms close together.
A trade directory lists the venue with a 28,800-square-foot exhibit hall inside roughly 120,000 square feet of event space, which matches a specialty conference: one manageable hall rather than a sprawling campus. The whole 2026 exhibit floor, 53 companies, fits in that single hall.
Getting between the Peabody Memphis and the Renasant Convention Center
Most WQTC 2026 attendees move between two addresses: the Renasant Convention Center at 255 N Main St, Memphis, TN 38103 and the Peabody Memphis at 149 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103. A complimentary shuttle runs between them about every 30 minutes, Sunday through Wednesday.
| Shuttle day | Hours | |---|---| | Sunday | 7:15am to 5:30pm | | Monday | 7:00am to 7:00pm |
The two buildings are close enough in downtown Memphis that the walk is short when the shuttle is between runs, and the convention center sits on the waterfront.
WQTC 2026 registration rates: which pass fits which attendee?
WQTC 2026 sells a Full-Conference pass plus narrower Exhibits Only, student and workshop passes. Early rates ran through Friday, October 23, 2026, after which the regular rate applies. The Full-Conference pass covers sessions, the exposition, the reception and lunches, with the member and non-member figures in the table below.
| Pass | Member early | Non-member early | Member regular | Non-member regular | | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Full-Conference | $785 | $1,030 | $990 | $1,135 | | | Exhibits Only | $80 | $100 | $100 | $100 | | | Student | $60 | $85 | $85 | $85 | |
Pre-conference workshops run $165 to $295 for members and up to $495 for non-members, by tier, and the Thursday facility tour is $80 for everyone.
WQTC 2026 badge, guest and cancellation rules
WQTC 2026 refunds a cancellation minus a 25% administrative fee when it is made in writing by the early-bird deadline. After that there is no refund, though substitute registrants are welcome in a cancelled registrant's place. Student registration is $60 for members and $85 otherwise, and requires ID.
A non-industry spouse or guest pass gives access to the exhibit hall and the reception. Age and badge-allotment rules are not published on the public pages; one cancellation paragraph on the AWWA site still shows a stale 2025 deadline, so the fee, not that date, is the reliable rule.
Where to stay for WQTC 2026, and how the Peabody block works
The conference hotel is the Peabody Memphis at 149 Union Avenue, Memphis, TN 38103. The Memphis icon opened in 1869 and its five resident Mallard ducks march through the lobby at 11am and 5pm. A shuttle links it to the convention center about every 30 minutes.
The AWWA room block closed on October 23, and the organiser warns that unauthorized organizations are contacting attendees to solicit rooms outside the official block. A full hotel list with nightly rates is not published beyond the headquarters hotel.
What travel window protects the most WQTC 2026 floor time?
The Opening General Session runs 8:15am to 9:30am on Monday, November 16, 2026, so a team arrives by Sunday, November 15. The exhibit hall is open 8:00am to 2:00pm on Tuesday, November 17, 2026, its last open day, so anyone skipping the Thursday 8:00am to 12:00pm facility tour on November 19, 2026 can leave Tuesday afternoon.
Booth staff who want the tour stay the extra two nights; sales-only teams are done by Tuesday evening. B2Brain's exhibitor planning guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide works the arrival window the same way.
Which exhibitors and product categories fill the WQTC 2026 hall?
The official WQTC 2026 directory, floor plan and planner run on A2Z Events and listed 53 exhibitor companies. They range from instrument and analyzer makers to chemical, membrane, metering and software firms, with 120Water reporting work with over 370 water systems across more than 31 states.
| Exhibitor | Booth | |---|---| | Hach | 205 | | Badger Meter | 223 | | Calgon Carbon Corporation | 210 | | De Nora Water Technologies | 111 | | The Water Research Foundation | 204 | | Mueller Water Products | 317 | | IDEXX | 304 | | YSI, a Xylem brand | 323 |
The hall spans pipes, valves, meters, hydrants, membrane filtration systems and laboratory equipment, a step down in size from the 55 companies listed for the 2025 edition.
How big is the WQTC 2026 exhibitor directory to work through?
The WQTC 2026 directory is small enough to work by hand. It runs on A2Z Events and listed 53 exhibitor companies for 2026, down from 55 in 2025, so a reviewer reads 53 company profiles rather than the hundreds a general trade show carries.
Each listing on A2Z Events carries a booth number, a company description and category tags, which is enough to sort the 53 into a shortlist before the doors open. The guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide turns a directory this size into a call list.
WQTC 2026 sessions, workshops, keynote blocks and CEUs
WQTC 2026 opens with a general session Monday 8:15am to 9:30am, then runs professional sessions and three pre-conference workshops on Sunday, including standard methods for cyanobacteria and the Beyond the Excel Grind data-analysis course. Sponsor-listed sessions include one on the influence of feed water quality on PFAS removal and one on advances in machine learning and AI.
The week also carries an AEESP Lecture Monday 4:00 to 5:00pm, Early-Bird sessions Tuesday 7:15 to 8:00am, and the Student Poster Competition Monday, November 16 from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m.. The Thursday facility tour visits the James Sheahan Pumping Station, rated at 35 million gallons per day. No keynote speaker name is published yet; the Opening General Session is listed only by its time block.
Credits and networking
WQTC 2026 is pre-approved for operator CEUs in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee and Wyoming. The week also opens with the Student and Young Professional Welcome Reception on Sunday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m..
How should attendees build a WQTC 2026 agenda around booth meetings?
On Monday the hall is open 9:30am to 6:30pm while professional sessions run only 10:30am to 3:15pm, so the 9:30 to 10:30 open, the 11:45am to 1:15pm luncheon and the afternoon that ends with the 5:00 to 6:30pm reception are session-free booth time. Tuesday the hall is open 8:00am to 2:00pm with no competing block.
Those windows are when buyers are on the floor rather than in rooms. B2Brain's planning guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide lays out the meeting-window method.
Who attends WQTC 2026, and is the audience a fit?
WQTC 2026 draws a specialist crowd: water quality specialists, treatment plant managers, laboratory scientists, engineers, regulators, utility managers and consultants. The organiser calls it one of the largest specialty conferences in the world, and the program is built on PFAS, lead and copper, microplastics, perchlorate, potable reuse and pathogens.
It is a fit for anyone selling instruments, treatment, chemicals or water quality software to that audience, and less of a fit for consumer or general-environmental sellers. A team weighing the water calendar also sees the International Water Conference in Orlando in the same window. No audited demographic split is published, so the scale language stays the organiser's own.
How can exhibitors size target accounts for WQTC 2026?
As of 29 October 2026, AWWA publishes no attendee count or audited demographic split for WQTC 2026. The only scale language is the organiser's line that it is one of the largest specialty conferences in the world. The reviewed pages establish the published attendee roles and the 53-company exhibit floor, but without a headcount, an attendees-per-exhibitor ratio cannot be computed, so target-account work rests on the role list, not a number.
What can the WQTC 2026 mobile app and a2z planner do?
WQTC 2026 runs two digital tools. The AWWA Events mobile app is in the app stores from November 1, and attendees log in with their last name and the barcode number on their badge. The web planner and directory run on Personify a2z Events.
The app tracks session attendance through check-in and check-out codes, which is how certificates of completion are earned. The A2Z Events planner adds the exhibitor directory, floor plan and an appointment tool that lets attendees request booth meetings by date across the five conference days.
Where does the WQTC 2026 planner stop and lead capture begin?
As of 29 October 2026, the WQTC 2026 planner is the A2Z Events directory, with its own exhibitor search, floor plan and appointment tool. No official lead-retrieval product is named for the 2026 edition, so there is nothing published to contrast the planner against. The line between planning and capture cannot be drawn here without naming a vendor the reviewed sources do not.
What does it cost to exhibit at WQTC 2026 beyond the booth?
The base booth rate for WQTC 2026 is not public: the prospectus is available only when you request a copy through a form, and the prices sit in a Booth Guide of prices, dates and FAQs. Booths are reserved through AWWA sales managers such as Donna Walstrom.
Beyond the space, show services and booth-staff registration are ordered through the login-gated WQTC26 Exhibitor Service Kit, and payments and listings run through the Exhibitor Hub. Floor-only access for extra staff is the Exhibits Only badge at $80 for members and $100 otherwise.
How many floor hours and reps does a WQTC 2026 booth need?
WQTC 2026 gives a booth 15 floor hours: the hall is open 9 hours on Monday, from 9:30am to 6:30pm, and 6 hours on Tuesday, from 8:00am to 2:00pm. At B2Brain's benchmark of 31 scans per productive rep-day, two reps cover 62 scans a day and 124 across the two exhibit days; three reps reach 186.
The hall is small, so staffing is about coverage during the busy windows, not headcount. The staffing math is worked in full in the guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide.
What official lead-retrieval tool is offered at WQTC 2026?
As of 29 October 2026, no lead-retrieval provider, device price or order deadline is named on any public WQTC 2026 page. The 2026 prospectus is available only when you request a copy through a form, and the Exhibitor Service Kit that would list the tool sits behind an exhibitor login. Because the vendor cannot be proven for this edition, this page names none and the exhibit-hall comparison keeps a generic column.
What can the WQTC 2026 lead-capture tool record, and what are its limits?
As of 29 October 2026, no official lead-capture tool is proven for WQTC 2026, so its capture fields, export formats and per-device limits cannot be stated. The reviewed AWWA and A2Z Events pages route service orders through the login-gated Exhibitor Service Kit and name no scanning product, so any field list would be invented rather than read from a source.
Is B2Brain an alternative to the official WQTC 2026 lead-capture tool?
As of 29 October 2026, the structured comparison between B2Brain and an official scanner needs a named tool at WQTC 2026, which the sources do not provide for this edition. B2Brain's own role is unchanged: it captures the conversation with the record and books meetings on the floor. With no vendor to compare against, the comparison module keeps its scanner column as a generic fallback and names no product.
Should WQTC 2026 exhibitors use B2Brain, the official tool, or both?
As of 29 October 2026, a use-both-or-choose rule for WQTC 2026 would need the official tool's 2026 price and order deadline, and neither is published. Without those inputs, no cost-based decision rule can be computed without inventing a figure. What the sources do support is that B2Brain works whether or not an official scanner is offered, because it does not depend on the show's badge hardware.
What should reps capture in every WQTC 2026 conversation?
A WQTC 2026 conversation qualifies on what the show already publishes, not a generic form. The directory lists 53 exhibitors and the hall is open 9:30am to 6:30pm on Monday, so a rep has limited time to place each visitor against two axes the program already defines.
Those axes are the role, from utility managers and treatment plant operators to laboratory scientists, engineers and regulators, and the contaminant, from PFAS and lead to microplastics, perchlorate, potable reuse and pathogens. B2Brain's exhibitor planning guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide covers the qualification fields.
How can teams hold lead quality across the WQTC 2026 floor?
Lead quality on the WQTC 2026 floor is set by pace, not volume. 53 exhibitors share a hall open 9:30am to 6:30pm on Monday and 8:00am to 2:00pm on Tuesday, 15 hours in all, so no booth sees a crush of traffic.
Against B2Brain's benchmark of 31 scans per productive rep-day, a single rep averages near two scans an hour across a working day, which leaves room to qualify rather than rush. Holding quality at pace is covered in the guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide.
How should WQTC 2026 leads be routed and followed up?
WQTC 2026 leads go cold fast after the last exhibit day, Tuesday, November 17, 2026. The conference itself ends with the Thursday facility tour on November 19, 2026. B2Brain's lead-decay figures put conversion probability near 85% within two hours of a conversation and near 9% after one week.
A lead captured as the hall closes needs routing that same Tuesday afternoon to stay in the high-probability window; one week on falls on Tuesday, November 24, 2026. The guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide sets out the routing windows after a close.
How should exhibitors measure WQTC 2026 pipeline and return?
Measuring WQTC 2026 return starts on the floor, not in a spreadsheet. Across 15 floor hours, Monday 9:30am to 6:30pm and Tuesday 8:00am to 2:00pm, two reps at a 31-scan day hold about 124 conversations over the two exhibit days.
At a 50% qualification rate and B2Brain's 52% Leads-to-Meeting, meaning meetings booked divided by qualified booth leads, against an 8% industry average, that is about 32 booked meetings. The dollar return needs the booth rate, which WQTC keeps off its public pages, so the cost-per-meeting figure is left out rather than invented. B2Brain's planning guide at https://www.b2brain.com/event-exhibitor-planning-guide runs the full pipeline and return method.