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36 | NOVEMBER 2020 | UTILITY WEEK Operational Excellence Event UWLO: an innovators' forum Utilities cannot hope to respond to the new and enhanced pressures they face from climate change, shifting societal expectations and the march of technology by continuing to do the things they have always done only a little bit better. Transformational innovation must be the name of the game and it's on the agenda at Utility Week Live Online. P ursuing truly transformative innova- tion is hard and, at times, frighten- ing – especially for organisations like utilities, whose identities are founded on the principles of safety and reliability first. But in a world facing a climate crisis and seismic shis in the expectations of ageing, urbanising and increasingly digitally ena- bled populations, there can be no doubt that transformative innovation is what is needed to ensure companies – and the sector – remains relevant and resilient. To help utilities professionals understand what the pursuit of transformational innova- tion should look like for them, Utility Week Live Online (UWLO) – the new digital exhi- bition created by Utility Week and its sister brands – has pulled together an inspirational agenda of keynote presentations, discus- sion panels, interactive challenge sessions, case studies and more, all tackling different aspects of what it means to be innovative in today's industry context. Split into four key segments, the pro- gramme will explore: how to do innovation better and create the conditions for gener- ating transformational ideas; innovating for the net zero challenge; innovating for vulnerable customers; and innovating for "whole-system" change. With sessions addressing both specific energy and water challenges, as well as over- arching pan-utility innovation drivers and success factors, this virtual event will create an ideal forum for both active and would- be innovators to learn, gain inspiration and challenge their current thinking, processes and technology choices. This article provides a snapshot of some of the best content confirmed on the UWLO Innovation agenda. Full information and registration are available at https://www.util- ityweeklive.co.uk/UWLO How the digital exhibition will work UWLO brings all the advantages of a live exhibition to your desk, including sourc- ing new products and suppliers, surveying the latest innovation transforming utili- ties; networking; and two action-packed conference programmes. Our sophisticated AI-powered matching technology will direct you to the products, suppliers and content most likely to be of interest to you. You can request video meetings with any exhibitors or attendees, move around our virtual show floor and product marketplace and attend online seminars, workshops and conference ses- sions in real time or on demand. You can manage your time throughout the event with an online schedule that will include the content sessions you select and any meetings you arrange. When you're not browsing the show floor or networking, jump over into the digital seminar sessions to learn more about what your peers in industry are doing to address the biggest utilities busi- ness challenges of today in our Opera- tional Excellence and Innovation content programmes. These programmes also include supplier showcase sessions which will give you the latest product develop- ment information from some of the leading technology and service providers exhibit- ing at UWLO. To find out more, visit: http://www.utility- weeklive.co.uk/UWLO