The 2023 Irrigation Show and Education Week took place Nov. 27-Dec. 1 in San Antonio, Texas, at the Henry B. González Convention Center. Over 3,000 attendees had the chance to network and learn together while getting access to the latest irrigation technology.
The show exhibit floor brought together leading irrigation and lighting companies from around the world, showcasing hundreds of products and services. The Innovation Hubs featured industry presentations like the 2023 New Product Contest and Pitch Competition, as well as Industry Insights.
Aside from networking events like the Women in Irrigation Breakfast and Young Professionals Social or the Craft Brewfest, there were plenty of opportunities to connect with other professionals.
Take a look through some of these memories from the 2023 Irrigation Show and Education Week, and we’ll see you next year in Long Beach, California, Nov. 4-7!
The Irrigation Association celebrated the innovative products and technologies that are shaping the future of water management in announcing the winners of the 2023 New Product Contest. This annual competition showcases the newest premier products in the irrigation industry, underscoring the commitment of industry leaders to sustainable water use and improved irrigation efficiency.
Forty-five new products and technologies were entered in three categories: agriculture irrigation, landscape irrigation and landscape lighting.
Among companies with annual revenue less than $20 million, the winner is the FertiWise Fertigation System by WiseConn Engineering Inc. The FertiWise high-precision fertigation system offers a precise dosage of fertilizer and acid to crops, obtaining savings in inputs, time and labor.
In the category of companies with annual revenue equal to or greater than $20 million, the winner is the Toro Transpira by The Toro Company. The Toro Transpira directly measures a plant’s water consumption, providing simple, specific and actionable information to support irrigation decisions.
Landscape irrigation categoryIn the category of companies with annual revenue less than $20 million, the winner is the SPVLF Low Flow Commercial Plastic Valve by Superior. Designed for use as a master or zone valve, the SPVLF is a low flow, high performance irrigation and landscape valve with no minimum flow requirement, which opens and closes regardless of system flow rate and has reliable low flow operation.
Among companies with annual revenue equal to or greater than $20 million, the winner is the FG100 Flow Sensor by Rain Bird Corporation. Designed for residential and light commercial applications, the Rain Bird FG100 Flow Sensor reads high and low flow rates reliably and accurately with flexibility in installation locations.
The landscape lighting winner is the Kichler Smart Control Transformer by Kichler Lighting. With the ability to control lights from anywhere, this 300-watt low-voltage smart control transformer offers the flexibility to design and schedule up to three separate lighting zones, allowing customers to customize and control the areas they want to illuminate.
“The 2023 New Product Contest winners showcase the irrigation industry’s commitment to product innovation and emerging technological trends,” says IA CEO Natasha Rankin, MBA, CEO. “These products not only bring groundbreaking solutions to market, they also represent the driving force behind growth and sustainability of the irrigation industry.”
Products were evaluated based on innovation, design quality, increased water/resource-use efficiency, ease of use and product life expectancy. Official judging was conducted live on the exhibit floor on Nov. 29 during the 2023 Irrigation Show and Education Week in San Antonio. Winners were announced Nov. 30 during the IA General Session.
Visit irrigationshow.org for more details about the contest and to see all the products entered. Contact IA business development (businessdevelopment@irrigation.org, 703.817.6098) for information about entering a product in the 2024 New Product Contest.
The Irrigation Association announced the winners of the 2023 Pitch Competition, showcasing products by today’s groundbreaking agriculture and landscape irrigation technology startup companies. These companies are developing innovative products and solutions that are set to revolutionize the irrigation industry and lead to wise water use and improved irrigation efficiency.
The 2023 Agriculture Irrigation Pitch Competition winner is GS Vortex Systems. GS Vortex Systems offers technology that overcomes flowing drag problems with a fluid motion solution. Vortex Flow delivers gains in flow efficiency, system productivity and sustainability.
The 2023 Landscape Irrigation Pitch Competition winner is Summit Spray. The Summit Spray sprinkler head offers a high-reaching “power shower,” extending from the ground up to 20 feet high to efficiently water plants, replacing the need to hand water or affix irrigation tubing up trees with a drip mount.
These winning startups represent what’s best about the future of irrigation and water management. Their visionary concepts are at the forefront of revolutionizing the integration of smart technology and the wise use of water.
“We were truly impressed by the exceptional quality and innovation displayed by the participants in this year’s Pitch Competition,” says IA CEO Natasha Rankin, MBA, CAE. “These entrepreneurs and innovators not only elevate their own enterprises, they bring creativity and transformative ideas that nourish the entire industry, fostering continued growth, sustainability and a thriving irrigation industry.
The Pitch Competition is a testament to the Irrigation Association’s commitment to promoting innovation. By providing a platform for these promising startups to showcase their ideas, the IA is working to foster a thriving, growing irrigation industry.
This year’s competition featured 10 irrigation startup companies that gave presentations and were judged by a panel of experts evaluating the quality of their presentation, the product, market need and economic feasibility. Official judging was conducted live on the exhibit floor on Nov. 29 during the 2023 Irrigation Show and Education Week. The winners were announced Nov. 30 during the IA General Session.
Visit irrigationshow.org for more details about the contest and to see a list of the startup companies that exhibited at the show and participated in the Pitch Competition.
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