The IEEE PES T&D Conference and Exposition was held from April 25-28, 2022, in New Orleans. For many, this was their first in-person conference and trade show since the shutdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Orleans, fondly known as the Crescent City, was the perfect location to celebrate being back in person as an industry. There were 10,450 attendees from 63 different countries. The exhibit floor was jam-packed, with 660 exhibiting companies displaying the latest technologies and solutions. The technical program included 128 presentations with 606 presenters. Panels were a particularly popular format, which included three Super Sessions. The Super Sessions included:

• Exploring the road map of data analytics and artificial intelligence for the future grid.
• Preparing for anything: resilient system design.
• Decarbonization and grid modernization.

I recently caught up with IEEE PES T&D Conference Director Carl Segneri, who has been leading the T&D Conference and Expo for over 10 years. As Segneri said about the event, “I was thrilled to see the 2022 T&D Conference attendance exceeded our projections. I was happy to see many utility attendees, as utilities bought more than 170 of our new Utility Saver bundle discount packages we introduced this year.

“The exhibits and technical program were as good as ever, kicked off by our opening panel (Ed Schweitzer, Allison Silverstein, Damir Novosel and Paul Hinnenkamp, and moderated by PES President Jessica Bian.) Their discussion of ‘The Past Powering the Future’ was provocative and inspiring. The T&D Conference highlighted why it is so awesome to be part of this industry and stressed how T&D is so vital to the US and global economy.”
 

The event kicked off with the opening reception at Mardi Gras World. Thousands of T&D attendees enjoyed the entertainment, music, local New Orleans cuisine and some of the country’s best hospitality. The opening reception was a great way to reconnect with PES Members and industry colleagues while having a lot of fun too.

This year’s IEEE PES T&D was hosted by Entergy, and Michelle Bourg was the organizing chair. Bourg, her team at Entergy and the entire T&D Organizing Committee did an outstanding job organizing the event, from logistics, to the student program, to technical tours, along with a technical program that was second-to-none.
 

We added several new initiatives to this year’s T&D including:

• Innovation Stages
  The new innovation stages were located in two places on the Expo floor. These innovation stages featured 12 different companies giving Tedtalk-style presentations lasting 30 minutes. Presentations were about current industry trends and new technologies happening in the industry. There are so many changes happening in our industry and so this was a good way for attendees to bring themselves up to date on some of these changes and new technologies.
   
• IEEE Smart Cities Pavilion
  The IEEE Smart Cities Pavilion was a new feature on the exhibit floor. Developed in partnership with IEEE Smart Cities, this dedicated Pavilion featured a variety of presentations and case study exhibits, showcasing the effective collaboration necessary to make smarter cities a reality. Attendees were given access to the latest in new technologies and real-world applications meant to promote business and connect thousands of attendees from around the globe, with best practices for urban planning and smart city innovations.
   
• Utility Super Saver Program for Registration
  To encourage more utility attendees, we added the new utility bundle registration package. Utilities could register 10 employees for only $1000, which was an incredible savings. Utilities could buy as many bundles of 10 as they wished.
   

According to Barbara Powell, T&D operations manager, and one of the event’s organizers for over 30 years, “The IEEE PES T&D Conference has always been ‘the one you cannot miss.’ The 2022 event in New Orleans proved why. The depth of the technical program was appreciated by the attendees who could choose from the accepted papers, panels and the three Super Sessions. The excitement in the exhibit hall did not disappoint, either. The products and services of the 650 exhibiting companies gave the attendees the close-up look that they have missed in the four years, since the last T&D. Also, in the exhibit hall, the introduction of the Innovation Stages and the Smart Cities Pavilion were extremely well received. The last word should go to the first event, the opening reception at Mardi Gras World was the best ever. Congratulations to the New Orleans Local Organizing Committee for a great show!”

Plans are already underway for the next IEEE PES T&D Conference and Exposition, which will be held in Anaheim, California from May 7 through 9 in 2024. The host utility for the next IEEE T&D will be Southern California Edison.