The reception drillers gave the New England Water Well Association's annual New England Water Well Expo was anything but chilly.

There may have been a bitter breeze blowing outside, but the reception drillers gave the New England Water Well Association's (NEWWA) annual New England Water Well Expo was anything but chilly. The Expo, held March 22-23 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Malborough, Mass., attracted more than 1,300 attendees from across the region, including about 140 exhibitors at Saturday's trade show, according to Jim Paulhus, director from the state of Rhode Island.

The two-day Expo, which included continuing education programs, a trade show, social events, certification exams and seminars, "was probably our best show in five to six years," according to Paulhus. "We'd like to thank all of the exhibitors and the board of directors who worked on the show for their support every year."

One of the more successful elements of the Expo, Paulhus says, was the educational portion of the weekend. "Our seminars were better attended this year due to licensing requirements in a couple of states - the dealers now have to have some continuing education points," he explains. "Our show was originally put together to do education: it wasn't really a trade show. We're proud this year that we had probably our best turnout at the seminars in quite a while."

Those attendees needing continuing education points or simply wishing to enhance their skills could choose from a variety of programs, including seminars about pump sizing, water quality, chemical rehabilitation of wells (see the lead story for National Driller's article on this topic) and water well screen design.

Of course, the weekend wasn't all about work, and the New England drillers managed to squeak in a little playtime during their time in Malborough. For example, the Friday night social, hosted by the NEWWA and Expo exhibitors, included a family-friendly bring-your-dancing-shoes gathering, giving attendees the chance to cut a rug on the dance floor.

It won't be too difficult to remember when and where you need to show up for next year's Expo: just make sure you're once again at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel, March 21-22.