Three months is a long time if you are waiting for the most important event of the year – but short to the point of scary if you are on the event organizing team.  Never mind, though – we have our ducks in a row, and this year's Danube Water Conference will once again be spec-tac-u-lar. Promise! 

The 2025 DWC is scheduled from 14 till 16 May in Vienna, Austria, in a sparkling new venue in the landmark Wienerberg Towers, a spot with perfect connection to Vienna's airport, railway station and motorway network.

The conference title is “Looking Back, Looking Forward: A State of the Sector Update”. It will be themed on the current State of the Sector Update, its findings and implications. 

In other words, the event will be discussing the very latest data-driven, fresh-from-the-print-press insights on the situation of the water sector in the Danube region.  We will gather to take stock of challenges met, successes achieved, lessons learned – and everything that needs to be done in the foreseeable future to keep the water clean and flowing.

Traditionally, the Danube Water Conference is scheduled back-to-back with a series of business meetings, and this edition is no exception. Starting Tuesday, 13 May and running until the official conference start Wednesday noon, the schedule includes the IAWD General Assembly, a UBP Danube Hub Workshop, a Young Water Professionals Meeting, a Regulators' Roundtable and a special event for donors and IFIs.

Wednesday at 2pm the 2025 DWC will kick off with an opening session titled “From Past Lessons to Future Visions: A Sector Update Overview” and a session on the regulatory environment, “Driving Change in Water Services Delivery: Innovating Policies, Institutions, and Regulations”, followed by the traditional cocktail reception.

Thursday's program is packed with the sessions “Running water: How to attract and retain a diverse workforce in the water service sector”, “Mastering infrastructure: How to stay on top of your assets”, “Just plug the leaks! What’s stopping us from tackling non-revenue water?“, and “What’s new in wastewater management: Challenges, Regulations and Solutions”, leading up to a conference dinner that once again promises to be a memorable highlight.

On Friday you can attend the traditional Poster Breakfast followed by two sessions, “Beyond utility reach? How to close the urban – rural access gap“, and „Plan for the unplanned: Crisis Management in water services delivery”.  

This was our first sneak peek, three months ahead of 2025 DWC. Please save the date and stay tuned for registration information, calls for poster presentations, and general information coming soon.

We are looking forward to see you in person at the 2025 Danube Water Conference!