The 2025 APWA Wisconsin Chapter Spring Conference will be held April 30 - May 2, 2025, at SentryWorldin the Stevens Point "Gateway to the Pineries," hosted by the Stevens Point Public Works and Engineering, and the Wisconsin Chapter. The spring conference chairs are Chris Johnson of Stevens Point, Eric Dundee of the Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District and Rick Eilertson of AECOM.
Early Bird registration ends midnight Friday, April 18!
CONFERENCE PROGRAM
The full conference program can be found on the Whova website. Highlights include:
Wednesday, April 30: Golf Outing, Bike Ride, Technical Tour, Evening Get Acquainted Party in the Exhibitor Hall with food, beverage, and games.
Thursday, May 1: Exhibitor Show and Roadeo, Conference Vendor Educational Sessions, Annual evening awards banquet
Friday, May 2: Conference Educational Sessions, Chapter Business Meeting, Lunch and Door Prize Drawing.
Several short-format vendor education sessions will highlight their products and services on Thursday along with traditional 50-minute educational sessions on Thursday and Friday. There will also be an Equipment Roadeo competition in the outdoor exhibit area on Thursday - more details to come on that. Spring conference program, speaker and exhibitor information can be viewed through Whova or using the links below. This information will automatically update as it develops, so be sure to check back from time to time!
We have set up separate Attendee and Exhibitor Registration portals in the Whova app. The Exhibitor Registration portal is for registration of Exhibit spaces which includes a lead exhibitor and registration of Additional Exhibitors who will attend just exposition parts of the conference on Wednesday evening and Thursday. All other registrations (including golf) are available through the Attendee Registration portal. Exhibitor and Attendee registration information follows.
EXHIBITOR REGISTRATION
Review the following Exhibitor Registration tips before using the Whova Exhibitor Registration portal for exhibitor registrations:
Both indoor and outdoor exhibit spaces are available for this conference exposition and are identified individually by location number and exhibit space size. (Overall conference facility map.) Use the Indoor Exhibit Floor Plan and Outdoor Exhibit Area Map to identify specific exhibit spaces, then the active ticket list in the Whova app to identify which spaces are available. Once an exhibit space has been purchased in the Whova app, the ticket for that space will no longer be visible.
Available exhibit spaces include:
60 indoor spaces at two different sizes: 53 at 10' x 10', and 7 at 10' x 20', including a folding table and two chairs.
15 outdoor spaces in three different sizes: 1 at 40' x 18', 6 at 30' x 18', and 8 at 20' x 18'. The outdoor exhibit spaces surround the Equipment Competition area.
All vendor spaces include a folding table and two chairs. Additional chairs for spaces larger than 10x10 will be provided at no charge; additional 8-foot tables are available at a cost of $25 each.
Electrical service for indoor spaces is available for a $75 charge through SentryWorld. To order electrical service for an indoor vendor space, send an email here. Electrical service is not available for outdoor exhibit spaces.
Public Wifi is available inside the conference center at no additional cost.
Exhibit registration includes one full conference registration for the lead exhibitor. Additional Exhibitors who will attend only Wednesday night and Thursday should purchase an Additional Exhibitor ticket through the Exhibitor portal, which includes the Wednesday night Get Acquainted Party (with food and beverage) and the Thursday exposition, with breakfast and lunch. Co-workers who will attend the whole conference should purchase the appropriate ticket through the Attendee portal.
The Wednesday night Get Acquainted Party will be held on the exhibit floor and in the event fieldhouse and provides a great opportunity to get to know the conference attendees.
Exhibitor showcase and vendor educational sessions will take place all day Thursday during the show. If you are interested in giving a 25-minute vendor presentation on Thursday, please respond accordingly to the registration question. If you are interested in giving a 50-minute technical presentation at the conference, please contact Rick Eilertson (spots are limited).
Several Chapter, Conference and special sponsorship opportunities are available through the Exhibitor Registration portal. Sponsorships provide vital funding for all chapter activities, and especially to allow us to welcome hundreds of public works frontline workers to attend the Thursday exposition without charge, so be sure to invite your local public works contacts or customers to register for free and attend the Thursday exposition. More information about the Chapter's sponsorship program is available through the Sponsorship Program link.
All Golf Outing tickets are available through the Attendee Registration portal.
Outdoor equipment and setup is available from 12 PM to 5 PM on Wednesday, April 30. Indoor exhibit setup is scheduled from 3 PM to 5 PM on Wednesday, April 30.
Since exhibit spaces are selected by purchasing specific exhibit space number tickets, exhibit assignment is prioritized in order of registration. APWA Wisconsin Chapter sponsors will have advance notice on exhibitor registration before registration is openly promoted (Sponsorship Program link)
Contact Eric Dundee for additional information on exhibiting.
Exhibitor information will be available to all registered conference participants through the conference app immediately following registration and the Whova app will provide significant opportunity for pre-conference networking, contact recording and lead collection during the conference and follow-up for up to three months following the conference.
ATTENDEE REGISTRATION
Review the following registration tips before using the Whova Attendee Registration portal for all Attendee registrations:
Early registration discount for full registration ends at midnight on Friday, April 18 - register now!
You will be asked these questions as part of the full registration process:
Do you want a conference T-shirt? (Yes/ No)
If yes, select your T-shirt size: (S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL)
Will you participate in the Wednesday afternoon Bike Ride? (Unlimited capacity)
Will you participate in the Wednesday afternoon Stevens Point Wastewater Plant technical tour? (60-person limit)
Will you attend the Wednesday night Get Acquainted Party?
Will you participate in the Equipment Roadeo competition?
Will you attend the Thursday night Chapter Awards Banquet?
Are you planning to stay for lunch on Friday?
All Full Registration tickets include all conference sessions, the exposition and social events, but not the golf outing. A conference T-shirt may also be included in Full Registrations purchased before April 18, 2025.
The Golf Outing is not included in full registration; details below. Be sure to purchase your separate golf outing ticket early to reserve your spot.
Member Discount - APWA members qualify for a $50 discount on the Full Registration tickets. Use the appropriate registration ticket in Whova for the discount.
The Inn at SentryWorld is the main conference hotel and was sold out as of February 12, 2025. Check below for other lodging options.
Cobblestone Hotel and Suites at 1117 Centerpoint Drive - Ask for the "APWA" room rates; $135/nt for a 2-queen size bedroom and $145/nt for a king size bedroom. Call the hotel for reservations at (715) 343-0522. The cut-off date for the special block room rate is XXX.
Country Inn and Suites at 301 Division St N, Stevens Point, WI 54481: Call the hotel directly at (715) 345-7000 and ask for the "APWA" rate for the conference nights. This is reported as sold out as of 3/10/2025.
OTHER DETAILS
GOLF OUTING: The shotgun start begins at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday at Indianhead Golf Course, located in Mosinee. Scramble format; $60 per person gets you 18 holes with cart at this course as well as a box lunch at the turn. 80 tickets available. Questions? Contact Greg Schanen, City of Stevens Point.
BICYCLE TOUR: Join your public works colleagues on a bicycle tour on the Green Circle Trail in Stevens Point. Meet at SentryWorld at Noon to begin the ride This will be a casual ride beginning at 12:05 PM following the Green Circle Trail to the Stevens Point Wastewater Plant for the Technical Tour and then returning to SentryWorld. The ride will be led by Rick Eilertson. More information on the bike ride will be provided as developed. Questions? Contact Rick Eilertson.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT TOUR: ...
ROADEO COMPETITION: Participate in our first-ever conference roadeo competition, featuring backhoe skill contests on rubber-tired tractor backhoes!
GET ACQUAINTED PARTY: We are shaking things up again in Stevens Point. The Get Acquainted Party will be in the Exhibitor Hall and fieldhouse with the exhibitors. Come meet your old and new public works colleagues, play games, have some food and beverages, and enjoy the night. The event starts at 5:00 p.m. We recommend casual or athletic wear, so you are prepared for contests like golf chipping, pickleball, Jenga, corn hole and more.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS HOSTED EVENT: Come enjoy a refreshing beverage, play some games, and connect with your fellow public works professionals. All are welcome to join after the Thursday night Awards Banquet, at the District 1 Brewing Company!
AWARDS BANQUET: The Thursday night awards banquet will recognize this year's projects and individuals who are being recognized through the Chapter's annual awards program.
CONFERENCE BENEFIT: TBD
MOBILE CONFERENCE APP: We are excited to continue using the Whova mobile app for this conference based on its great success in our past conferences. All the conference information is available through it, saving the cost and waste of printed conference programs. Whova provides preconference networking opportunities, conference program, speaker and exhibitor updates, automatic updates and live networking opportunities during the conference and post conference access to attendee and session information. Setup assistance will be available at the conference check-in desk.
WISCONSIN CHAPTER CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellations requested by April 19, 2025 will be granted a full refund less a twenty-five dollar ($25) administrative fee. Refunds after April 19, 2025 may be granted due to special circumstances reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the host committee and then referred for approval of the Executive Committee. The host committee must receive all special circumstance requests by May 10, 2025 for consideration. All requests received after this date will be denied. Refund requests must be submitted to the host committee and treasurer describing the basis of the request and must include their mailing address and to whom the refund should be directed. All approved special request refunds will be issued after completion of the conference.
