In July, organisers of Stuva in Germany took the slightly risky decision to hold the event as an in-person conference and expo following the cancellation of the pandemic-hit 2020 event. Slightly risky that is, because even though Germany’s vaccination campaign against Covid-19 was well advanced, nobody could have accurately predicted in July the course of the pandemic, given the seemingly erratic rise and fall of infections throughout most of Europe. But with the German authorities having administered over 107 million vaccine doses to date, the country seems to be on an upward path. However, caution is still the operative word.
Prof Dr Martin Ziegler, chairman of Stuva said: “We will carefully monitor the further development of the pandemic and observe the official requirements during implementation. We may still have to accept some restrictions, but the possibility of the long-awaited personal exchange certainly outweighs this.”
BEFORE YOU GO
The restrictions are there to ensure the safety of delegates, visitors and exhibitors. Stuva says only people who are either fully vaccinated, or have recovered, or have tested negative for the coronavirus (in accordance with CoronaVO Baden-Württemberg from 25 June 2021) will have access to the event. Stuva organisers strongly recommended that those wishing to attend get vaccinated in good time so that full protection is guaranteed before the event. Those as yet unvaccinated should get tested before they arrive. As a precaution, there will be a test centre operating on site.
Yet even this could be academic if visitors are not allowed into Germany. Therefore before travelling, they should check for possible entry restrictions with the country’s Federal Ministry of the Interior for Building and Home Affairs at https://bit.ly/3o8Jctm.
GET READY TO GO
Nevertheless, at the time of writing, Stuva is ready to roll. This is excellent news for the international tunnelling and underground space fraternity which, like many industries, has been battered by the various lockdowns since March 2020. Indeed, as one of the first in-person tunnel events of the past 18 months, Stuva 2021 could see record attendances as professionals from all areas of tunnelling seek an escape from home working, Zoom and Teams to rediscover their new freedoms and in-person networking skills.
THIS YEAR
Past Stuva conferences have attracted up to 3,800 tunnelling experts from over 20 countries. This year, for obvious reasons, the expectations are slightly lower but still very healthy. Over 2,000 conference participants are expected to attend on 24 and 25 November for more than 60 cutting-edge bi-lingual lectures.
There will be two lecture streams, one on ‘Tunnelling’, the other on Tunnelling/Planning. Between the two, a vast spectrum of tunnelling topics will be covered including mechanised and conventional tunnelling, BIM, road/rail tunnels, caverns, refurbishment, as well as a look at some major international projects such as Cross River Rail, Brisbane and the Cairo Metro.
Undoubtedly, they will all be presentations at the forefront of knowledge and are to be welcomed at a time when the global tunnel sector faces unprecedented challenges, whether in the form of disruptors such as Elon Musk, a still uncertain Covid-19 trajectory, the advance of digitalisation (BIM/AI/Digital Twins) or the climate emergency.
Stuva managing director Prof Dr Roland Leucke said: “Our industry is facing truly revolutionary changes over the next few years. The goal of complete climate neutrality by 2045 alone will lead to a fundamental change in drive technology and revolutionary changes in the infrastructure. Who, if not us engineers, should ensure that these goals can also be technically implemented?” Who indeed?
Yet the immense contribution made to tunnelling technology by the equipment and manufacturing sector should not be overlooked. As one TBM manufacturer told this magazine recently, feats of tunnelling are possible today that were near impossible 15 years ago, thanks in large part to new advances in TBM technology. Advances in drill and blast have been equally impressive.
At Stuva Expo – the parallel trade exhibition that will be situated near the lecture auditoriums – numerous innovations from 200 exhibitors from Germany and abroad will be on show.
Also, although not part of the main conference days, Friday 26 November will be dedicated to taking a limited number of delegates to local tunnel projects. It is stressed that places are limited and interested parties should inform the organisers as soon as possible.
Full details of registration, the conference timetable, lecture programme and visits can be downloaded from
www.stuva-conference.com
