WELCOME RECEPTION

07:00 AM – 08:30 AM | Armstrong Foyer

REGISTRATION AND NETWORKING BREAKFAST

09:00 AM – 09:30 AM | Armstrong

WELCOME ADDRESS AND OPENING REMARKS

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.

#SecuringTomorrow | #SafeguardInfrastructure | #SustainableFuture

• Abhishek Vinod Singh, Co-founder and CEO, AiDash

09:30 AM – 10:15 AM | Armstrong

KEYNOTE: SECURING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN A CHANGING CLIMATE

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 our 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.

#ClimateResilience | #SecuringTomorrow

• John Bel Edwards, Former Governor of Louisiana and Special Counsel, Fishman Haygood

10:15 AM – 10:45 AM | Armstrong Foyer

MORNING BREAK AND NETWORKING

10:45 AM – 11:30 AM | Armstrong

KEYNOTE: SECURING TOMORROW’S GRID – HOW SPACE TECHNOLOGY AND AI ARE TRANSFORMING UTILITY OPERATIONS AND RELIABILITY

Industry leaders Paul Granito (Maxar) and Rahul Saxena (AiDash) unveil 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

#VegetationManagement | #ClimateResilience | #SecuringTomorrow

• Paul Granito, General Manager – Enterprise, Maxar Intelligence
• Rahul Saxena, Chief Product & Technology Officer, Co-Founder,AiDash

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM | Armstrong

PANEL: TRANSFORMING UTILITIES — LEADERSHIP IN INNOVATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Join our panel of dynamic managers for a look at how they have been successful driving change through their organizations. Hear stories of transforming vegetation management programs and leading innovations that deliver meaningful business outcomes.

#SecuringTomorrow

• August Ridder, Operations Manager, Vegetation Management, Xcel Energy
• Kristen Bridges, Vegetation Management and Contract Services Manager, Alabama Power

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM | Endymon

EMBRACING BIODIVERSITY FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

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.

#Sustainablity | #Biodiversity | #SecuringTomorrow

• Nick White, Principal Advisor for BNG at Natural England
• Sally Hayns, CEO of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)

12:15 PM – 01:30 PM | Armstrong Foyer

LUNCH

01:30 PM – 02:30 PM | Armstrong

CUSTOMER SUCCESS STORIES — REAL-WORLD IMPACTS OF CLIMATE RESILIENCE INITIATIVES

Discover how a diverse group of customers have 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.

#ClimateResilience | #SecuringTomorrow

02:30 PM – 03:15 PM | Armstrong

INNOVATION WITHIN ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES: MEETING INCREASED DEMAND WHILE MINIMIZING DISRUPTIONS AND MITIGATING RISK

Listen to these panelists discuss the ways technological solutions can help address the challenges inherent in rural and regional co-ops.

#SecuringTomorrow | #RuralCoop | #ClimateResilience | #RegionalCoop

03:15 PM – 03:30 PM | Armstrong Foyer

COFFEE BREAK

03:30 PM – 04:15 PM | Armstrong

REGULATORS’ ROUNDTABLE: LEVERAGING AI TO ENHANCE GRID RELIABILITY AND MANAGE COSTS

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.

#UtilityRegulation | #RegulatoryBestPractices | #InnovativeVegetationMgmt

• Moderator: Neil Chatterjee, Former Commissioner and Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)

04:15 PM – 04:45 PM | Armstrong<

PANEL: BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN (BNG) AND NATURAL CAPITAL FOR UTILITIES AT SCALE

Dive into the ways that improving biodiversity has led to broader implications for utilities with this panel of both utilities and regulators. Learn about commercial benefits, such as helping with regulatory price reviews. Note that it would be wise for utilities to prepare now for an additional regulatory requirements that come later.

#SustainableUtilities | #RegulatoryReadiness | #FutureProofUtilities

04:15 PM – 04:45 PM | Zulu

MASTERCLASS IN MODERN VEGETATION MANAGEMENT #1

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.

#UtilityManagement | #AIVegetationManagement | #VegetationMapping

• Lawrence J. Kahn, Director, Utility Vegetation Management Institute and Adjunct Professor, Tulane University Law School, Center for Environmental Law

04:45 PM – 05:15 PM | Armstrong

CHANGE MANAGEMENT AND ROI: WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES TO MAKE A TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION SUCCESSFUL?

Uncover the secrets of successfully implementing new technology into your organization. In this panel moderated by BCG’s Shubham Kumar, you’ll hear from utilities about the challenges and solutions they’ve encountered in their organizations in the course of change management, technical implementation, and getting users to adopt new technology.

#ChangeManagementSuccess | #UtilitiesInnovation

• Moderator: Shubham Kumar, Managing Director and Partner, Boston Consulting Group

06:00 PM – 06:30 PM | Armstrong Foyer

2nd LINE PARADE

07:00 PM – 10:00 PM | Sazerac House, 101 Magazine St., New Orleans

GALA DINNER AT SAZERAC HOUSE

Cap off a day of insights and learning at with evening at the iconic Sazerac House, proudly sponsored by Maxar. 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, and funk hidden gem, The Vegas Cola Band. Relax, connect with fellow attendees, and reflect on the day.

08:00 AM – 09:00 AM | Rhythms Ballroom

NETWORKING BREAKFAST

09:00 AM – 09:30 AM | Armstrong

WELCOME ADDRESS

09:30 AM – 10:15 AM | Armstrong

SECURING TOMORROW TOGETHER

Join this session to hear AiDash’s esteemed partners as they discuss their shared vision and experiences in collaborating with AiDash to drive positive change. Hear how they work together to create a meaningful difference for communities and the environment and secure a better tomorrow.

#SecuringTomorrow | #UnitedforChange

• John Alford, Management Consulting Senior Manager, Accenture
• Sean Wild, Chief Executive Officer, Up42

10:15 AM – 10:30 AM | Armstrong Foyer

COFFEE BREAK

10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Armstrong

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

Join us as we celebrate excellence in vegetation management, grid resilience, and biodiversity by handing out the inaugural AiDash Evolve Awards.

11:00 AM – 11:30 AM | Armstrong

POWERING THE FUTURE: ENTERGY’S PIONEERING JOURNEY IN GRID INNOVATION AND RESILIENCE

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.

• Jason Chapman, SVP, Chief Technology and Business Services Officer, Entergy

11:30 AM – 12:25 PM | Armstrong

MASTERCLASS IN MODERN VEGETATION MANAGEMENT #2

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.

#VegetationManagement | #FinancialStrategies

• Lawrence J. Kahn, Director, Utility Vegetation Management Institute and Adjunct Professor, Tulane University Law School, Center for Environmental Law

12:30 PM – 01:25 PM | Armstrong

MASTERCLASS IN MODERN VEGETATION MANAGEMENT #3

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; and more.

#VegetationManagement | #WildfireMitigation | #StormResilience

• Lawrence J. Kahn, Director, Utility Vegetation Management Institute and Adjunct Professor, Tulane University Law School, Center for Environmental La