2:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Armstrong Foyer
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM | Lagniappe
Kick off Evolve 2024 with our welcome reception, where you can mingle with industry leaders and fellow attendees in a relaxed atmosphere. Whether you’re looking to network or catch up with industry experts, this reception is the perfect start to an unforgettable conference experience. Delicious passed appetizers and refreshing drinks will be provided. And did we mention New Orleans jazz?
7:45 AM – 8:45 AM | Rhythms Ballroom
8:45 AM – 9:30 AM | Armstrong Ballroom
Join your industry-leading peers to hear AiDASH Co-Founder and CEO Abhishek Vinod Singh open Evolve 2024 with remarks about groundbreaking technology solutions, which are now more critically important than ever. We must secure tomorrow and evolve to adapt to a changing climate.
9:30 AM – 10:15 AM | Armstrong Ballroom
In this urgently important keynote, former Governor of Louisiana John Bel Edwards expounds on how increasing storm intensity and frequency are putting American infrastructure at risk, creating danger for future generations. Learn what steps have been taken at both the federal and state levels to fight this problem by allocating budgets and making climate adaptation a priority.
Then, Governor Edwards will sit down with Neil Chatterjee, Former Commissioner and Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), for a fireside chat.
10:15 AM – 10:45 AM | Armstrong Foyer
10:45 AM – 11:30 AM | Armstrong Ballroom
In this session, you’ll learn how space technology and AI are revolutionizing utility operations. Explore cutting-edge satellite capabilities for monitoring critical infrastructure and AI-driven insights enhancing grid reliability. Discover the future of data-driven operations and how this technological synergy is securing tomorrow’s grid today.
11:30 AM – 12:15 PM | Armstrong Ballroom
How can leaders drive transformation while maintaining operational excellence?
Our panel of industry experts will share their experiences leading change at every level, from front-line workers to the executive suite. They’ll discuss how they set a clear direction, leveraged insights from technologies like AI and satellites, and adapted to external forces such as climate change and evolving regulations — all while improving risk mitigation and operational efficiency.
12:15 PM – 1:30 PM | Rhythms Ballroom
1:30 PM – 2:15 PM | Armstrong Ballroom
Discover how a diverse group of customers has leveraged AiDASH’s solutions to drive transformative change. Panelists will share insights on enhancing grid resilience, optimizing vegetation management, and making communities safer and more sustainable.
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM | Armstrong Ballroom
In an era of rapid technological advancement and evolving consumer expectations, electric cooperatives are at a pivotal crossroads.
This session will explore innovative strategies that cooperatives can adopt to effectively meet the surging demand while minimizing service disruptions and mitigating risks associated with environmental, infrastructure aging, and operational challenges.
3:00 PM – 3:15 PM | Armstrong Foyer
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM | Armstrong Ballroom
Learn from state commissioners and customer advocates as they discuss regulatory challenges and best practices. Hear them share their perspectives on balancing reliability, costs, and resilience through innovative vegetation management.
4:00 PM – 4:45 PM | Armstrong Ballroom
Championing biodiversity is good for business as well as the planet. Following the UK’s new Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) rules, biodiversity regulations are increasing around the globe to safeguard our food chain and environmental health. Learn how U.S. utilities benefit by staying ahead of the curve.
4:45 PM – 5:30 PM | Armstrong Ballroom
This panel will explore how water and energy utilities are integrating Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and natural capital to balance the needs of critical water infrastructure with sustainable environmental stewardship. It will delve into the challenges and opportunities of embedding biodiversity into water utility operations, including regulatory compliance, partnerships with landowners, and the use of technology to monitor and enhance natural capital.
The panelists will share their insights from implementing these concepts, focusing on real-world benefits like water quality improvement, flood risk reduction, and sustainable land management.
4:45 PM – 5:30 PM | Proteus
Module 1: Modern Technologies in Vegetation Management: AI and Remote Sensing (1 credit)
In this module, you’ll discover how AI algorithms and remote sensing techniques are revolutionizing vegetation management practices. Learn how these technologies enable utilities to adopt precise vegetation mapping, tactical risk assessment, and optimized decision-making.
You’ll gain an understanding of how AI works and what remote sensing is, the tools used, what kind of data is collected, and how it’s processed. Plus, you’ll learn what the first academic pilot study revealed about the use of AI-enhanced remote-sensing data in utility vegetation management.
5:45 PM – 6:30 PM | Lagniappe + French Quarter
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Sazerac House, 101 Magazine St., New Orleans
Proudly Sponsored by Maxar.
Cap off a day of insights and learning at the iconic Sazerac House. Feel the spirit of New Orleans at this historic three-story landmark dedicated to one of the city’s most iconic beverages. Enjoy an authentic New Orleans meal and crafted cocktails, while listening to the premier New Orleans R&B, soul, jazz, and funk hidden gem, Vegas Cola Band. Relax, connect with fellow attendees, and reflect on the day.
7:45 AM – 8:45 AM | Rhythms Ballroom
8:45 AM – 9:30 AM | Armstrong Ballroom
9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Armstrong Ballroom
This session explores innovative approaches to building climate resilience through systemic transformation in partnership with AiDASH. Three industry leaders — KPMG, Schneider Electric, and Accenture — will share their insights and strategies for creating a more sustainable and adaptable future.
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Armstrong Ballroom
This session will focus on the pivotal role that satellite data and cloud technologies play in building resilient, future-ready systems. Experts from UP42, Maxar, and AWS will each present their perspectives, offering insights into how their platforms leverage satellite imagery and cloud infrastructure to enhance decision-making, optimize operations, and address climate-related challenges. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the transformative potential of these technologies in driving sustainability and innovation across industries.
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM | Armstrong Foyer
11:15 AM – 11:45 AM | Armstrong Ballroom
Join us as we celebrate excellence in vegetation management, grid resilience, and biodiversity by handing out the inaugural AiDASH Evolve Awards.
11:45 AM – 12:15 PM | Armstrong Ballroom
Join Jason Chapman, SVP and Chief Technology and Business Services Officer at Entergy, as he shares insights from Entergy’s groundbreaking journey in adopting cutting-edge technologies. Learn how innovations in satellite imagery, AI, and data analytics have transformed their operations, improved grid reliability, and set new standards for the utility industry. Discover the real-world impact of these technologies and the potential they hold for securing our energy future.
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Proteus
Module 2: Financial Strategies for Vegetation Management: Capitalization vs. OpEx and PBR (1 credit)
In this module, you’ll explore the financial aspects of implementing modern technologies in vegetation management. Learn how to build a compelling business case for technology adoption and understand the long-term benefits of capitalization compared to relying on operational expenditures for utility vegetation management — and consider how this would be viewed through a performance-based review (PBR) system.
You’ll also assess the differences between capital expenditures (CapEx) and operating expenditures (OpEx), the current state of OpEx financing of utility vegetation management programs, issues surrounding this form of financing, the possibility of switching to CapEx financing, and more — including next steps on how utilities can implement these changes.
1:30 PM – 2:20 PM | Proteus
Module 3: Wildfire Mitigation and Storm Resilience in a Changing Climate (1 credit)
In this third and final module, you’ll gain insights into how technology can help utilities proactively mitigate wildfire risks and improve storm resilience in the face of a changing climate. Discover strategies for leveraging these technologies to minimize outages and improve response times — and ensure a more reliable grid, thereby reducing litigation risk,
You’ll learn about the extent of annual wildfire and outage damages as well as an overview of tree and powerline conflicts — including historical approaches to resolving challenges.
And you’ll learn about challenges with current UVM strategies; considerations for Right Tree/Right Place, Trees for Energy Conservation, strategies to support nurseries and tree planting and maintenance in service of mitigating risk and building resilience; using traditional ecological knowledge (TEK); recommendations made by the Utility Vegetation Management Institute (UVMI); and more.